Waiting List Conference: From Backlog to Breakthrough

From Backlog to Breakthrough

With NHS waiting lists in England exceeding seven million, the impact on patients, staff and the wider economy is impossible to ignore. While ambitious targets have been set to reduce waiting times, it is increasingly clear that traditional approaches alone will not be enough.

That was the focus of the Waiting List Conference, hosted by Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) in partnership with The Strategy Unit on 16–17 September.

The conference brought together patients, frontline staff, researchers, innovators, system leaders and others to explore how we can make meaningful progress on reducing patient waiting times and numbers.

Waiting lists are what systems thinkers call a wicked problem: a complex, adaptive challenge that resists simple solutions and demands new ways of thinking, learning and innovating together. Across the conference, speakers shared evidence, experiences, practical examples and new ideas for understanding the problem differently and identifying opportunities for change.

Watch the conference talks

The recordings from the conference are available here on Futures, providing an opportunity to hear from the speakers and explore the ideas, approaches and innovations discussed across the two days.

• Understanding the system – exploring the causes, consequences, and connections that shape waiting lists across the NHS.

• Engaging diverse voices – ensuring everyone, from patients and frontline staff to national leaders, is part of the conversation.

• Reframing assumptions – challenging long-held narratives and seeing the problem through fresh lenses informed by a diverse mix of methods.

• Experimenting and learning – sharing prototypes, pilots, and case studies that have achieved real-world impact, including novel models of care and AI-based innovations.

• Adapting and iterating – focusing on agility, feedback, and continuous improvement rather than one-off solutions.

• Tackling root causes – going beyond surface symptoms to address the deeper structural, behavioural, and cultural drivers of long waits.

Launching the Waiting Intelligence Network

The conference also marked the launch of the Waiting Intelligence Network (WIN) — an initiative to share learning, scale innovation and accelerate system-wide change in how we understand and address waiting lists.

The conference was co-designed with patients with lived experience of waiting lists, and the patient perspective was woven throughout the programme.

We hope these recordings provide useful insights, spark new conversations and support further learning and action across the health and care system.

Get Involved

As discussed during the Waiting List Conference, a Community of Practice is being established for conference participants to continue the conversations and learning from the event. 

The Community of Practice will focus on sharing learning, connecting analytical insight with operational decision-making, and developing evidence-informed approaches to waiting list management. 

You can get involved by filling out the form here.