9.7million could be on NHS waiting list
THE NHS waiting list could be three million patients longer than previously thought – with many having to wait more than a year, a report has revealed.
a survey of 90,000 adults in England found that 21 per cent were waiting for an appointment, including an operation or scan.
this means around 9.7 million – more than one in five – could be waiting across the whole population, according to the figures from the office for National Statistics.
However, NHS England figures state there were 6.3 million waiting for 7.6million appointments as of the end of January, with some needing more than one type of care. Part of the reason for the discrepancy may be that the NHS does not include those waiting for follow-up consultations.
Critics have previously accused health chiefs of keeping these people on a ‘hidden waiting list’ that means they can be sidelined as a low priority.
The ONS survey found that one in seven respondents waiting for an appointment had been waiting for more than a year. this would equate to 1.35 million patients across the population – four times more than the 321,394 stated by NHS England.
the survey also suggests that 670,000 people have been waiting 18 months or more, compared with the 14,000 stated by health officials. NHS England pledged to have ended waits of more than 18 months over a year ago.
Brett Hill, of independent consultancy Broadstone, said: ‘of particular concern is the wide gap between the data reported in NHS waiting lists and the findings of the ONS survey, which suggests the proportion of UK adults waiting for medical treatment is far higher than previously understood.’
andrew Gwynne, a labour shadow health minister, said: ‘Pull back the cover and the crisis in the NHS is even worse than it appeared. one in every five people in England are stuck on waiting lists.’
an NHS England spokesman said: ‘the official published statistics actually show 6.3 million patients were on NHS waiting lists as of the end of January and only 4.2 per cent of waits were over a year.’