4.7 million waiting for operations in England

Around 4.7 million people were waiting for routine operations and procedures in England in February - the most since 2007, NHS England figures show.

Nearly 388,000 people were waiting more than a year for non-urgent surgery compared with just 1,600 before the pandemic began.

During January and February, the pressure on hospitals caused by COVID-19 was particularly acute.

NHS England said two million operations took place despite the winter peak.

However, surgeons said hospitals were still under huge pressure due to the second wave of Covid, which had led to "a year of uncertainty, pain and isolation" for patients waiting for planned treatment.

Speaking on a visit to Dartmouth, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government would "make sure that we give the NHS all the funding that it needs... to beat the backlog".

He said the situation had been "made worse by Covid", and added: "We do need people to take up their appointments and to get the treatment that they need."

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Source: BBC News, 15 April 2021