Waiting lists are falling up to three times faster than the national average in some of England’s hardest-hit joblessness areas, according to a new NHS England report that highlights the impact
of targeted government intervention.
Twenty hospital trusts taking part in the government’s ‘Further Faster 20 (FF20)’ programme have seen dramatic reductions in treatment backlogs, alongside sharp improvements in productivity. The initiative focuses on regions with the highest levels of economic inactivity, aiming not only to speed up NHS care but also to help people return to work sooner.
Under the scheme, specialist NHS “crack teams” were deployed directly into struggling trusts to work alongside local staff. Their brief was simple but ambitious: cut waiting lists, modernise services and unlock growth by getting patients treated faster.
The results have been striking. Over a 12-month period from October 2024 to October 2025, waiting lists in FF20 areas fell by 4.2%, compared with a 1.4% reduction nationally. For working-age adults, the improvement was even more pronounced, with waiting lists falling more than five times faster than elsewhere in the country.
Thousands of patients have already benefitted from shorter waits, faster diagnoses and quicker access to surgery. NHS England says the lessons learned from the programme will now be rolled out more widely, spreading best practice across the health service.
The findings come as the government marks one year since the launch of its Elective Reform Plan, which directs record levels of NHS funding towards tackling backlogs and restoring timely access to care. Since July 2024, the national waiting list has fallen by more than 225,000, despite the NHS handling 28.4 million referrals over the same period.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “We said our Elective Reform Plan would get waiting lists down, and one year on that’s exactly what it’s delivering. Along with record investment, we’re doing things differently to get patients seen quicker, back to work and living their lives.
By sending crack teams into hospitals to supercharge care, opening more Community Diagnostic Centres longer and later, and cutting wasteful spending, we’re turning the tanker round and patients are starting to feel the difference.
It will be a long road, but together with NHS staff, we are fixing our health service and make it fit for the future and beyond”.
Mark Cubbon, NHS England’s National Director for Planned Care, said:
“NHS staff have been relentless in their efforts to bring waiting times down, and today’s figures show patients are starting to see the benefits – not only getting the care they need faster but also being supported back into the job market.
The last year has seen the NHS take great strides to deliver more tests and scans closer to home, and cut unnecessary and time-consuming appointments and processes, so that people can get the surgery they need faster.
The NHS will continue to deliver on the Elective Reform Plan and ensure people can get the treatment they need in a timely manner”.
At the heart of the FF20 programme is a push to transform how planned care is delivered. In some hospitals, ‘High Flow Theatre Lists’ have been introduced, with operating theatres running continuously in a “Formula 1-style” model that allows surgeons to complete more procedures in less time.
Outpatient care has also been streamlined. Many trusts now send patients “straight to test”, reducing the need for repeated clinic appointments before diagnosis or treatment. In South Tees, these changes created 4,000 additional appointment slots, while Bolton reduced wasted clinic capacity by 20% through improved scheduling. East Lancashire introduced AI-powered dictation for pre-operative assessments, increasing nurse productivity by 14%.
The FF20 initiative is just one element of a wider NHS modernisation drive. Across England, patients are benefiting from more evening and weekend clinics, expanded community diagnostic centres, new surgical hubs, millions of extra GP appointments, additional frontline staff and smarter use of technology.
As a result, NHS productivity continues to exceed targets, with 2.7% growth recorded between April 2024 and March 2025, followed by a further 2.5% increase in the first five months of the current financial year.
The government’s goal, set out in the Elective Reform Plan launched in January 2025, is to restore the NHS standard that 92% of patients are treated within 18 weeks of referral by the end of the current parliament. If the early success of the FF20 programme is anything to go by, ministers believe the health service is moving firmly in the right direction.
Daniel Elkeles, Chief Executive, NHS Providers, said: “It’s great to see NHS trusts’ innovation and hard work to see patients quickly, cut waiting lists and boost productivity making such a huge contribution to the economy and growth. This is all the more impressive given the impact of record demand, resident doctor strikes and a relentless focus on delivering a financial ‘break even’ position for the NHS as a whole”.
Mr Tim Mitchell, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), said: “It is encouraging to see targeted support helping trusts run operating lists and outpatient clinics more efficiently. Long waits carry real human costs - prolonged pain, loss of independence, time away from work and disrupted lives. This initiative shows what’s possible with focused investment. Our surgical workforce census shows surgeons are ready to do more operations, and with the right theatres, staffing and bed capacity in place, the NHS can go further and faster in tackling waiting lists”.