Serving soldiers, sailors, and air crew have seen their NHS waiting times cut by over four weeks due to a new initiative. The Further Faster Armed Forces (FF-AF) campaign focused on getting injured military personnel ready for action more quickly.
During the first six months of this year, a specialist NHS central team worked with 20 trusts that serve large military communities. This team collaborated with local clinical staff to identify and address care blockages, review waiting lists, and find practical ways to expedite patient assessment and treatment.
The initial phase of the programme targeted ear, nose and throat (ENT), and trauma and orthopaedics (T&O) care, which had the largest waiting lists for military personnel. The median wait for ENT treatment in participating trusts dropped from 16.9 weeks to 11.8 weeks, while waits for T&O treatment fell from 13.9 weeks to 9.7 weeks. This represents an average reduction of four weeks and four days.
Military personnel can encounter difficulties accessing NHS treatment due to frequent postings, which may require reassessment or transfer to a new provider when moving between NHS areas during treatment. The NHS and Defence Medical Services are continuing their efforts to improve healthcare access for serving personnel and ensure military life demands do not create unnecessary treatment barriers.