From today (3rd November 2025), NHS England has brought together its improvement teams under the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) brand to deliver a more unified, clinically led and data-driven approach to service improvement.

The teams formerly known as the Elective Care Improvement Support Team, ECIST (Emergency Care) and MHIST (Mental Health) are now part of the expanded GIRFT programme, working together to build on existing strengths and ensure improvement recommendations are embedded within regional performance oversight to maximise impact.

This change aims to support providers and regional teams through a standardised structure, with a focus on three key areas:

• Elective care (GIRFT Elective Team): supporting RTT and long wait targets.
• Urgent and emergency care (GIRFT UEC Team): improving category 2 ambulance response times, and 4- and 12-hours standards.
• Mental health (GIRFT Mental Health Team): enhancing urgent access and inpatient pathways.

Cancer, diagnostics, and community services are aligned within these priority areas.

GIRFT remains committed to engaging with maternity and primary care stakeholders to explore how their offers can be integrated as policy develops.

This evolution reflects NHS England’s commitment to delivering high-quality, cost-effective solutions at pace, ensuring patients receive the standards of care they deserve.