Plan to cut NHS England elective care backlog at serious risk, watchdog says

National Audit Office says efforts to reduce record waiting lists under threat amid rising inflation and workforce shortages

Millions of patients could face years of long waits for treatment on the NHS, as a watchdog warned that the plan to reduce extensive waits for elective and cancer care services by 2025 is at serious risk.

NHS England published a three-year plan in February aimed at tackling the backlog in services, after the Covid-19 pandemic saw already long waiting lists grow to record levels. The Department of Health and Social Care is responsible for funding the recovery plan.