Few will be surprised to read that the number of people in England alone waiting to begin hospital treatment has risen again to a record high. 5.6 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of July, an increase of almost half a million from the end of April. And the figure will not stop rising yet, with the Institute of Fiscal Studies estimating that the waiting list could reach 14 million by next autumn. The Guardian has more.
A total of 5.6 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of July, according to figures from NHS England. This is the highest number since records began in August 2007 and includes those waiting for hip and knee replacements and cataract surgery.
The number of people having to wait more than 52 weeks to start treatment stood at 293,102 in July 2021, down from 304,803 in the previous month, but more than three times the number waiting a year earlier, in July 2020, which was 83,203. …
The data shows the total number of people admitted for routine treatment in hospitals in England in July 2021 was 259,642, up 82% from a year earlier (142,818), although this reflects lower-than-usual figures for July 2020, which were affected by the first wave of the Covid pandemic. The equivalent figure for July 2019, before the pandemic, was 314,280.
NHS England said many more tests and treatments had been delivered this summer compared with last, while hospitals cared for thousands more patients with Covid. It said there were 3.9 million diagnostic tests and 2.6 million patients started consultant-led treatment in June and July, compared with 2.7 million tests and 1.6 million treatments over the same time last year. …
NHS England also pointed to data showing that almost half a million people were checked for cancer in June and July, among the highest numbers on record. …
The new data showed that more than 325,000 patients in England had been waiting more than six weeks for a key diagnostic test in July. A total of 325,229 patients were waiting for one of 15 standard tests, including an MRI scan, non-obstetric ultrasound or gastroscopy.
The equivalent number waiting for more than six weeks in July 2020 was 489,797, while pre-pandemic in July 2019 there were 37,206.
Tim Mitchell, the Vice-President of the Royal College of Surgeons, said the overall data showed 7,980 patients waiting more than two years for treatment. The longest waits were for trauma and orthopaedic treatment such as hip and knee replacements, followed by general surgery such as gallbladder removals and hernia operations.
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