Six million in wait for routine NHS treatment

A RECORD six million people in England are now waiting for routine hospital treatment, with A&E delays also at an all-time high.

Amid warnings patients are being left in agony, the number on lists for more than two years grew by 15 per cent in a month. The six million waiting at the end of November 2021 was the highest since records began in August 2007, NHS England said.

There were 306,996 waiting for more than a year – down from 312,665 the previous month – and 18,585 for more than two years, up 15 per cent from a month earlier. Meanwhile, 12,986 waited more than 12 hours in A&E last month, the highest since records began in August 2010.

Siva Anandaciva, of health thinktank The King’s Fund, said: ‘These are not just big numbers, they are people living with pain and anxiety.’ NHS England national medical director Professor Stephen Powis said staff have ‘pulled out all the stops to keep services going’.