The waiting list for planned NHS treatment in England has risen to a new record high of 7.75 million, according to data for the end of August. This represents an increase of more than 100,000 from the previous month, with nearly 9,000 patients estimated to have been waiting over 18 months to start treatment.
All cancer waiting time targets were missed, and ambulance and A&E waits also increased. The number of people waiting more than a year for treatment rose to just under 397,000. Despite these figures, the NHS is treating 10% more patients than before the pandemic, with 1.42 million people coming off the waiting list in August, compared to 1.29 million in August 2019.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made reducing NHS waits a priority. NHS England says it has met its target of having 10,000 virtual ward beds in place to treat patients more quickly in their own homes. Patients are waiting for treatments ranging from hip replacements to surgery for cancerous tumours.
Prof Peter Friend from the Royal College of Surgeons of England attributed the delays to increased demand, record staff vacancies, and industrial action. NHS national medical director Prof Sir Stephen Powis noted that industrial action continues to pile pressure on services, with September seeing the busiest ever for A&E attendances, up almost 8% on the same month last year.
Dr Tim Cooksley from the Society for Acute Medicine warned that the winter months could be 'appalling' for patients needing care, citing high absence levels, burnout, and low morale among staff. He urged that ongoing industrial action must be resolved before winter pressures hit. Meanwhile, the number of people in hospital with Covid in England is increasing, with 4,414 patients testing positive as of 8 October, up 14% on the previous week.
