Responding to a speech by the Prime Minister in which he set out a milestone for the NHS for 92% of patients to be seen within 18 weeks of referral, the interim chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery said:

"Trust leaders are doing everything they can to ensure patients get high quality care as quickly as possible. They are working tirelessly with their frontline teams to reduce delays across the NHS and have delivered real progress in tackling the longest waits. They know they need to go further and faster for all patients.

"However, even with the welcome budget boost for the NHS, they are also calling for a healthy dose of realism about how quickly they can deliver the ‘milestone’ set out today given the backdrop of soaring patient demand, the impact of a decade of underinvestment, and major workforce challenges across every part of the health and care system.

"Our recent State of the Provider Sector survey showed many have doubts about being able to meet performance standards including the 18-week target for planned hospital treatment over the next five years. But they are up for the challenge.

"It is also important to remember that the 18-week target does not sit in isolation. It is vital that the laser-like focus on bringing down waiting times for routine operations and appointments doesn’t come at the expense of other critical services for which patients also face long waits, such as urgent and emergency care, mental health services and social care. These are just as vital for patients and must not be overlooked.

"Tackling these pressures can only be achieved through the collective work of hospital, mental health, community and ambulance services and their partners across the wider health and care system.

"But trust leaders also recognise there is a real opportunity to make much-needed progress. They fully back plans to shift care from hospitals to the community, analogue to digital and treatment to prevention and welcome the government’s commitment to addressing the challenges the health service faces together."