Sajid Javid Calls for Shock NHS Overhaul Amid Record A&E Delays
Sajid Javid has slammed the NHS wait times crisis and pushed for radical reforms, including introducing fees for some services to tackle soaring A&E delays.
Record-Breaking Waits Spark Heated Debate
NHS data reveals a staggering rise in A&E wait times, with a record number of patients in England enduring over 12 hours in emergency departments last December — more than triple the official standard.
In a hard-hitting article for The Times, Javid said it was time for a “grown-up, hard-headed conversation” to fix the health service. He warned the NHS’s “religious fervour” for free care is now a barrier to reform.
Calls for Charges, But PM Stays Quiet
Downing Street insists Boris Johnson is not currently mulling over Javid’s proposals.
However, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab admitted the idea “has been discussed a few times” and welcomed Javid’s input, saying, “I think we’re very focused on the huge investments we’ve put in alongside getting those backlogs down.”
During his Tory leadership bid, Rishi Sunak suggested fining patients £10 for missing GP or hospital appointments — but quickly backtracked amid fierce backlash from health chiefs fearing threats to the NHS’s free-at-point-of-use principle.
Javid: Replace Waits with Means-Tested Fees
Facing the NHS’s biggest strike yet on February 6, Javid argues the current rationing system — forcing patients to wait — must be scrapped.
Instead, he proposes means-tested fees, protecting low earners but charging others to ease pressure on services.
“We should consider extending the contributory principle on a cross-party basis. This conversation will not be easy, but it will help the NHS better ration its limited supply,” Javid wrote.
He pointed to models in Ireland — which charges a nominal €75 for injury unit visits without referral — and Norway and Sweden, where a £20 fee applies for GP appointments.
This explosive proposal is set to ignite fresh debates on how to save the NHS from its wait-time nightmare — but at what cost to its founding principles?
