PRIVATE hospitals will test and treat even more NHS patients under new backlog-busting plans.
Ministers have ordered closer tracking of data on unused private capacity so local clinics can send people stuck on their waiting lists.
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A record 7.5million people in England are waiting for hospital treatment, up by nearly 300,000 since the start of the year.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said doctors’ strikes are making waits worse and will not lead to a better pay offer for the British Medical Association.
Another 13 rapid diagnostic centres will also open by next year to offer speedy out-of-hospital tests and scans — taking the total to 127.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: “We must use every available resource to ease the pressure on the NHS.
“The Elective Recovery Taskforce has identified additional diagnostic capacity available in the independent sector, which we will now use more widely for quicker patient care.”
The Department of Health also said it will cut red tape to allow NHS boards to use private hospitals more freely without “unnecessary” tenders and barriers.
Stella Vig, a surgery leader at NHS England, said: “We have increased our use of the independent sector by more than a third since April 2021.
“It carries out 90,000 NHS appointments and procedures and more than 10,000 diagnostic tests every week, and it will continue to play a key role.”
Patients can choose if they want to be seen for free at a private hospital in their area when they are sent for treatment by their NHS doctor.