U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer stood for election on a platform of fixing the country¡¯s ailing National Health Service, a taxpayer-funded system that¡¯s struggling with near-record waiting lists and all-time low satisfaction ratings.
The plan the Labour Party leader has finally unveiled doesn¡¯t shrink from ambition, setting a four-year deadline to reach a standard for nonurgent treatment that hasn¡¯t been met in almost a decade. The goal may be achievable ¡ª the real question is at what cost.
The NHS constitution, a document that spells out the rights of patients and the standards they can expect, says that 92% should be able to begin treatment within 18 weeks of referral. That threshold hasn¡¯t been achieved since early 2016. The percentage slipped gradually under the previous Conservative government before plunging during the pandemic, recovering only to 59% as of October. Starmer pledged the health service will reach the 92% target again by March 2029, with a 6%age-point improvement to come in the year through March 2026.
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