NHS waiting lists reach record high
THE number of people in England waiting for hospital treatment has reached a new record high.
A total of 5.6 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of July, according to new figures from NHS England.
This is the highest number since records began in August 2007 and includes those waiting for hip and knee replacements and cataract surgery.
The number having to wait more than 52 weeks to start treatment stood at 293,102 in July 2021, down from 304,803 in the previous month, but more than three times the number waiting a year earlier, in July 2020, which was 83,203.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid has said he was warned the NHS waiting list could reach 13 million without immediate action as he pledged to tackle growing numbers.
Siva Anandaciva, chief analyst at The King’s Fund, said: “Even before Covid-19, waiting lists for treatment had substantially worsened. The significant investment the Government has now promised is very welcome but will not lead to an increase in the number of hospital beds or clinical staff overnight.”
The data shows the total number of people admitted for routine treatment in hospitals in England in July 2021 was 259,642, up 82% from a year earlier (142,818), although this reflects lower-than-usual figures for July 2020, which were affected by the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The equivalent figure for July 2019, a nonpandemic year, was 314,280.
NHS England said many more tests and treatments have been delivered this summer compared to last.
It said there were 3.9 million diagnostic tests and 2.6 million patients started consultant-led treatment in June and July, compared with 2.7 million tests and 1.6 million treatments over the same time last year. This came as the number of Covid patients in hospital grew from under 800 at the start of June to more than 5,000 at the end of July.
There are now more than 6,300 Covid patients in hospital, compared with fewer than 600 this time last year.
NHS England also pointed to data showing that almost half a million people were checked for cancer in June and July, among the highest numbers on record.
Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director for NHS England, said: “NHS staff have pulled out all the stops to deliver millions more tests, checks, treatments and operations than they did last summer despite caring for many more Covid patients.
“Caring for 450,000 patients with the virus has inevitably had a knock-on effect on less urgent care and left a backlog but staff are working around the clock to make the best possible use of Government investment to treat as many people as possible.”
Ambulance data also shows that those people needing ambulances for life-threatening conditions are often waiting longer than the target of seven minutes.
In August, the average response time was around eight-and-a-half minutes.