NHS waiting lists are ‘missing 2 million’

THE NHS waiting list could be two million people longer than previously thought, new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has suggested.

A representative survey of almost 100,000 adults in England found that 21 per cent were waiting for an NHS appointment, test or medical treatment.

It means about 9.7 million – more than one in five people – are waiting for an NHS appointment when the results are extrapolated across the country, the ONS said. Waiting list data up to the end of January said 6.3 million people were waiting for 7.6 million appointments because some people are on two or more lists. The NHS does not include those waiting for follow-ups or check-ups.

The survey also found that one in seven patients on the waiting list had been waiting for longer than a year for an appointment or treatment despite NHS figures suggesting it is fewer than one in 20. While NHS data show 321,394 patients have been waiting longer than 12 months for a first appointment after a referral, the ONS survey found the number waiting longer than a year was likely to be closer to 1.35 million. Just over 14,000 people have been waiting 18 months according to NHS figures, but ONS suggests this could actually be more than 670,000 people.

The survey was carried out between Jan 16 and Feb 15 2024 by NHS England and the ONS and involved 90,000 adults aged 16 and over in England.

An NHS spokesman said: “Work is ongoing to reduce the longest waits for patients but despite pressures and industrial action, hardworking NHS staff ensured the Covid backlog has fallen for four months in a row and 18-month waits are down almost 90 per cent on their peak.”