Informed by new NHS data, London’s health services will be able to address unfair elective waiting times for patients from deprived communities, making services more accessible for all.  

For the first time ever, the NHS has published a demographic break-down of London’s waiting list – part of the elective care reform plan’s commitment to make the NHS the most transparent health system in the world. 

Dr. Chris Streather, Chief Medical Director for the NHS in London, said: “I am pleased that the NHS has published this data, which will provide greater transparency for both patients and London’s health services.  

“To tackle the way different groups are treated in the capital, it is essential to understand which patient demographics make up our waiting list.  

“By breaking the latest data down by age, sex, ethnicity and deprivation levels, London’s NHS services can address variation in patient care, and work with their communities to reduce it.” 

London healthcare teams can use this data to analyse and understand potential inequalities in their waiting lists and take steps to address them. Local trusts will be able to build evidence-based plans to put addressing inequalities at the heart of efforts to cut waiting lists.  

Trusts across the capital are already making services more accessible by using the NHS App, allowing patients access to healthcare remotely and benefit from translation services in multiple languages. 

The new 10 Year Health Plan sets out a shift in healthcare from ‘analogue to digital’, using technology and digital tools like the NHS App to boost clinical productivity and provide better, more personalised care for patients. 

Over half of Londoners aged over 13 (61%) are now registered with the NHS App, and over three quarters of London trusts (78%) use the app’s core features. On top of this, a quarter (25%) of specialist trusts operate using the app.* 

The new waiting list data will allow trusts to implement targeted measures to improve health while waiting, increasing the likelihood of positive outcomes and lowering the risk of cancellations and any productivity loss. 

The NHS App is crucial in delivering support while patients wait for elective care, acting as a digital ‘front door’ to the NHS and allowing trusts to provide information and engage with patients. 

Besides the convenience of viewing hospital referrals and outpatient appointments all in one place, the NHS App core features also provide patients with support and information ahead of appointments, and a single point of contact for the service administering their care. 

In London and across the country, patients in the poorest communities and those from an Asian or Asian British background, were found to be most likely to be waiting longer than 18 weeks for treatment. 

London findings show: 

• More than half (61.7%) of the overall waiting list is made up of people of working age (19 to 64). A quarter (26.6%) of those waiting are aged 65 and over, with 11.7% aged 18 or under. 

• Working age individuals are more likely to be waiting over 18 weeks (41.0%) than under 18s (36.8%) or over 65s (37.1%). 

• For pathways where sex is recorded, women make up a higher percentage of the waiting list (57.7%) compared to men (42.3%). Of those currently waiting, the proportion of men and women waiting over 18 and 52 weeks is similar.  

Tackling health inequalities is at the heart of the 10 Year Health Plan which set out how people living in working class and deprived communities will benefit from billions of pounds of funding diverted from other areas.  

Read the full plan here.