NHS waiting lists ‘set to hit 10m by Christmas’

NHS waiting lists are likely to more than double to 10million people by the end of the year, health bosses have warned.

Continuing pressure from Covid-19 plus reduced patient flow means the health service faces an “uphill battle” to restart normal services, such as those for stroke and heart disease, according to a report from the NHS Confederation.

The backlog of treatments and staffing shortages is expected to exacerbate the waiting list, currently at 4.2 million.

However, the scenario assumes some access to new treatments for Covid-19, such as a vaccine. A second wave without any treatments would push the waiting list to 11 million, it predicts.

It warned that services would operate with a capacity around 60 per cent of normal because of the need for infection control measures.

The health leaders called on the Government to prepare the public not to expect the same level of service for many months, adding that some staff were exhausted and traumatised.

In its accompanying letter to Boris Johnson, the NHS Confederation warns that it will not be possible simply to “switch on” NHS services immediately.

An NHS spokesman said: “Now that the NHS has managed the first wave of this virus, there is clearly an important job to do to … the next phase of our work will help to manage diagnostics and outpatient appointments.”