Labour’s plan to make more use of the private sector: try not to make the same mistakes again

One verb above all has characterised the patient journey in the NHS in 2024: “to wait.” Patients wait to be seen by a general practitioner. Then they wait for a referral. If they go directly to hospital they often wait on trolleys in corridors—sometimes for days. Then they wait for diagnostic tests and initiation of treatment. And the waiting times become ever longer.Unsurprisingly, this has become a political issue in the 2024 general election. The opposition Labour Party, which will almost certainly form the next government, has set out five “national missions.”1 One is to “get the NHS back on its feet,” with goals that include “Cut[ing] waiting times by giving the NHS the staff and technology it needs.”Clearly this will require sustained investment but, controversially, Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, has said on several occasions that he will use private hospitals to help clear the backlog. Indeed, he…
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