Research by The Health Foundation found 31 trusts with newly opened hubs increased high volume low complexity elective surgery by 21.9% or 29,000 procedures.

In addition, the thinktank found between April 2021 and March 2022, 23 trusts which had established a hub pre-pandemic undertook 11.2% more elective surgery (of all kinds) than they would have done without a hub or an extra 51,000 procedures.

As well as higher treatment volumes, the thinktank found evidence of shorter stays in hospital, suggesting that hubs also had the potential to improve efficiency in elective care delivery. 

In June this year, the waiting list stood at 7.6m cases (6.4m people), with 1.2 m cases waiting for elective surgery.

Charles Tallack, director of data analytics at The Health Foundation, said: ‘Our research provides the first robust causal evidence that elective surgical hubs can significantly increase the number of patients treated and reduce the length of time they spend in hospital. With the new Government having staked its credibility on tackling the NHS waiting list, our research suggests that surgical hubs could play an important role in helping to deliver on this.'

Chief executive of NHS Providers, Sir Julian Hartley, said: ‘Trust leaders and their teams have seen first-hand how having dedicated staff and resources in NHS surgical hubs can drive down waiting times, increase procedures and benefit patients.

‘They're doing everything they can to ensure patients are seen and treated as quickly as possible.

‘But with waiting lists rising for the third month in a row, trust leaders know that they need significant investment in staff, buildings and equipment across all NHS sites- including hospitals and surgical hubs- if they're going to make a real dent in waiting times for patients.'

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘This Government inherited a broken NHS, with millions of patients waiting far too long for treatments and appointments and waiting lists growing each month.

‘We are determined to harness innovative practices such as surgical hubs to tackle the backlog and ensure that the most effective ways of working are echoed across the NHS.

‘We will continue to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of surgical hubs, making sure we apply the lessons learned right across the health service.'