Waiting List Conference: From Backlog to Breakthrough

With waiting lists in England now exceeding seven million, the impact on patients, staff, and the wider economy is impossible to ignore. The government has set ambitious targets to cut waiting times — but it’s clear that traditional approaches alone won’t be enough.

That’s why the theme of our conference, that took place on 16-17 September, From Backlog to Breakthrough was more than just a slogan — it’s a shared call to action.

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.

This conference explored practical ways to make progress on cutting patient waiting times and numbers. The urgency couldn’t be greater. NHS waiting lists continue to grow — and an increasing number of patients are turning to private healthcare for faster access. System-wide reform and innovation can’t wait.

Hosted by The Strategy Unit in partnership with Health Data Research UK (HDRUK), the conference will also mark the launch of the Waiting Intelligence Network (WIN) — to share learning, scale innovation, and accelerate system-wide change.

It was co-designed by patients with lived experience of waiting lists and the patient voice will be represented throughout, including among the audience.

Sessions will draw on proven principles for understanding and addressing complexity:

• 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.