The NHS is cancelling and delaying thousands of surgeries in order to save money.
Regional NHS boards across the country have been forced to limit or cap their spending in line with budgets given to them by NHS England.
This has led to planned surgeries being delayed or even cancelled until the new financial year when budgets have been reset.
It is estimated that up to 140,000 patients could have their procedures changed by the end of March this year as part of the efforts to stay within strict budgets.
It has been warned this will lead to operating theatres being empty despite thousands of patients waiting desperately for treatment.
And it is not limited to surgeries; other bookings, such as outpatient appointments, scans, pre-surgical care and physiotherapy could all be affected.
There are 42 integrated care boards (ICBs) across England that are slowing down their efforts to treat patients and cut waiting times due to budget deficits.
This comes despite Health Secretary Wes Streeting vowing to reduce the waiting list, which currently stands at 7.3 million patients.
The NHS are cancelling and delaying thousands of surgeries in order to save money
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In autumn 2025, more than seven million patients had waits of four weeks or more for a GP appointment, representing an increase of 300,000 from the same time in 2024.
However, many ICBs across the country are facing substantial budget deficits, NHS England was warned. In total, the deficit is said to be at least £445million.
This has led to a widespread cap by regions on how many surgeries can take place, with some NHS trusts even warned if they treated more patients than expected, they would not be paid for the extra procedures.
So far, limits have been applied in Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Suffolk and north east Essex.
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Local NHS boards are being forced to pause initiatives to cut wait times despite Wes Streeting's vows to cut waiting lists
|REUTERS
NHS-funded patients going through private treatment have been the most affected.
Some patients across Lincolnshire and Nottingham have seen their procedures cancelled in January and re-booked after April 1, when the new financial year begins.
Siva Anandaciva, director of policy at the King’s Fund think tank, told The Times limiting the amount of operations was a "perverse" decision.
He said: "It’s really hard to work out what the strategy is here because you’ve got the prime minister saying the number one target for the NHS is the 18-week target.
"But you’ve got to question whether it really is the priority if you’re not willing to pay the money it takes to keep bringing down waiting lists."
He added the move is a "real kick in the teeth for clinicians" who are being told of delays based on finances rather than clinical need.
David Hare, chief executive of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network, said the NHS had been scaling back activity since autumn last year.
Mr Hare explained: "As a result, we expect 140,000 fewer people will be removed from NHS waiting lists by the end of March than would have been the case if these NHS slowdowns were not being implemented — treatment which would all have been paid at the national price set by the NHS."
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