NHS waiting list in England hits record 5.45 million

New figures show a record number of 5.45 million people are waiting for NHS hospital treatment in England, with many more joining the waiting list who also need treatment, and those who came back to the NHS for healthcare having not done so during the worst periods of the pandemic.

Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary has said, "We estimate there's probably some seven million people that ordinarily would have come forward to the NHS that stayed away, understandably, during the height of the pandemic. We want those people to come back. I don't know how many will come back but, even if half of them came to the NHS - and can I just stress I really want people that need to be seen by the NHS to know the NHS is there for them and they should come forward - but as they do I think waiting lists will rise because there will be a huge increase in demand." 

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Source: BBC News, 12 August 2021