Private healthcare professionals and those working across musculoskeletal (MSK) services are calling for urgent action following the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) report on reducing NHS waiting times for planned (elective) care. The report highlights that NHS England (NHSE) has missed its post-COVID recovery targets, despite £3.24bn being invested in transforming diagnostic and surgical services. With MSK waiting times now at a record high, MSK clinicians across the private and independent sectors are urging NHSE and the Government to expand the deployment of qualified MSK healthcare professionals to relieve pressure on hospitals and GP surgeries throughout the UK.
Private sector MSK practitioners can be rapidly mobilised to support the NHS. By providing streamlined access for private healthcare professionals into public sector pathways, the NHS could immediately increase clinical and hospital capacity, speed up delivery of care, and reduce waiting times for patients. The sector stands ready to work with NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to operationalise these recommendations.
Tim Button, President, British Chiropractic Association:
Chiropractors are ready to step into NHS pathways to help bring down MSK waiting lists now. We can deliver safe and informed care in primary and secondary settings, working alongside healthcare colleagues to improve access and outcomes for patients.
The BCA’s calls for action come after their recently commissioned health economics report. Recent research from the York Health Economics Consortium (YHEC), a subsidiary of York University, found that using chiropractors to reduce the existing NHS MSK community waiting times could free up 100,000 appointments per year and add £400 million back into the economy from lost productivity.
The BCA’s work and the wider profession’s contribution align closely with the PAC’s calls to improve patient care, waiting times, and outpatient services. Under current circumstances, NHSE and the Government are missing a practical opportunity to utilise chiropractors at scale to support recovery and reduce repeat hospital referrals.