Record 7 million people awaiting hospital treatment, says NHS England

The number of people waiting for hospital treatment with the NHS in England has topped 7 million for the first time in August.

Other unwelcome records were recorded elsewhere, with just 56.9% of patients attending major A&Es in September seen within four hours – a record low.

Just 72.9% of patients received their first treatment for cancer within two months after seeing a consultant while one-month waits for radiotherapy also reached a new low at 90.5% of patients against a target of 94%. The service failed to meet seven out of eight of its stated cancer targets.

The number of patients waiting more than a year for treatment grew to 387,257 by the end of August, up from 377,689 the month before, equivalent to one in every 18 patients on the waiting list. Eighteen-month waits fell from the high of 123,969 in September 2021 but still affect 50,888.

The latest data, covering August or September depending on the metric, shows that the NHS is under increasing pressure even before winter begins. There are currently 10,522 patients in hospital with Covid, double the number seen last month (4,630 on 13 September). On Wednesday, the NHS warned that hospitals in England may be forced to cancel operations to protect their stocks because of staff shortages.

The service pointed to successes elsewhere, saying the number of people waiting 18 months for treatment continues to fall and was almost 60% lower in August as compared with the same month last year (121,711) and noting that 255,055 people received an NHS cancer check following an urgent GP referral in August – the highest number since records began.

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Source: The Guardian, 13 October 2022