Inside Salisbury: NHS update - are you pleased or concerned?
NHS waiting lists to come down and Wiltshire Council announces budget survey results
Prime Minister announces NHS plan to deliver two million extra appointments annually
by Annette J Beveridge
More than seven million people are waiting for treatment on the NHS, so the latest update to ensure an 18-week referral to treatment target may be a relief.
The Elective Reform Plan was published on Monday, January 6 by NHS England and plans to deliver two million extra appointments in the first year - equivalent to 40,000 each week.
The reforms will put patients first, harness technology to support staff and help the NHS to do things more efficiently. Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said: “NHS backlogs have ballooned in recent years, leaving millions of patients languishing on waiting lists, often in pain or fear. Lives on hold. Potential unfulfilled.
“This elective reform plan will deliver on our promise to end the backlogs. Millions more appointments. Greater choice and convenience for patients. Staff once again able to give the standard of care they desperately want to.”
Half a million more appointments are anticipated to be created with the opening of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) for longer and by bringing 17 new and expanded surgical hubs online.
The CDCs will open 12 hours per day, seven days a week (where possible) and enable people to access a broader range of appointments but closer to home.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said: “The NHS should work around patients’ lives, not the other way around. By opening community diagnostic centres on high streets 12 hours a day, seven days a week, patients will now be able to arrange their tests and scans for when they go to do their weekend shopping, rather than being forced to take time out of work.”
What do you think about this? Are you waiting for NHS treatment? Email: contact@insidesalisbury.uk
Your budget spending priorities published
by Annette J Beveridge
More than one hundred people attended face-to-face drop-in events on how the council should prioritise spending. Attendees were asked to place tokens in 10 boxes that represented Wiltshire Council services to indicate the services most prioritised and where money should be allocated.
Leisure centres and libraries came top (15%)
Supporting and safeguarding children (15%)
Investment into housing, roads, and school buildings (13%)
Supporting vulnerable adults (12%)
In the online survey, where more than 1600 people participated the top four areas for spending were as follows:
Maintenance of highway and footpaths – 17%
Supporting and safeguarding children - 13%
Adults – supporting the vulnerable – 12%
Investment in housing, roads and school buildings – 11%
Read more: Inside Salisbury- Weekend Special
Cabinet Member for Finance, Councillor Nick Botterill, said, “Local authorities are legally obliged to set a balanced budget. Our prudent and preventative approach over the last few years has put Wiltshire Council in a strong position to deliver high-quality services for Wiltshire's residents, businesses, and communities, in line with our Business Plan priorities.
“However, we are not immune to the challenging times and local authority budgets are under greater scrutiny and pressure than ever before due to increasing demand for services, particularly for adults' services, children's social care and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Demand has been further impacted by the ongoing pressures caused by continued cost-of-living challenges, higher levels of inflation and continued higher and unpredictable energy prices.
“We wanted to hear people's views on how they think we should prioritise spending in 2025/26, so that this could inform how we invest in key services and programmes to ensure we continue to deliver services that meet the needs of our residents, businesses and communities. We thank people for getting involved in our recent interactive budget drop-in sessions or for completing our survey online. It was really useful to get everyone's feedback and, in the case of, the in-person events have some good discussions with residents.”
Wiltshire Council will publish its draft budget proposals for 2025-2026 which will be informed by confirmation of the Government’s funding for local authorities. The council already set out its financial strategy for 2025/26 when the previous budget was confirmed in February this year and this is due to be formally discussed and considered at a Full Council meeting on Tuesday, February 25.
The council receives nearly 84% of its core funding from local taxes, business rates and council tax. In 2024/25 the council's budget was around £490m, more than half of which was spent on adult and children's social care services.
The most significant spending in 2024/25 is on:
Adult services - £179.4m
Families and children - £70.8m
Environment - £49.6m
Highways and transport - £43m
Education and skills - £38.9m
