Hospital trolley waits soar 70%

THE number of hospital patients stuck on trolleys has increased by 70 per cent in a year as NHS waiting times reach the worst level on record.

And figures released yesterday show a record 4.4million patients are on now waiting lists for routine surgery for planned treatment, such as hip operations.

Waiting times at A&E departments were worse in May and June this year than in the run up to Christmas, figures released yesterday show. The number of patients stranded on trolleys while they wait for a bed has increased by 70 per cent since last June. And 119,320 patients endured a trolley wait of more than four hours in May and June this year – almost treble the number four years ago.

The deteriorating performance has been partly blamed on thousands of doctors cutting down on overtime and weekend hours to avoid a hefty tax bill on their pensions. New rules mean GPs and consultants can be hit with tax rates of up to 90 per cent on their total pension value if they earn more than £110,000 a year.

Yesterday the British Medical Association wrote to Tory leadership candidates Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson, urging them to reform the pension taxation.

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s health spokesman, said: ‘The Health Secretary must park his obsession with gimmicks, gizmos and gadgets and get a grip of the plummeting standards of patient care happening on his watch.’

An NHS spokesman said it is reviewing the staffing and investment needed for the next five years.