Record-Breaking 7.7 Million waiting lists for Routine Hospital Care in England

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Waiting lists for routine hospital care in England have reached a new record, dealing a setback to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s hopes of reducing the backlog before the expected election next year.

According to data published by NHS England on Thursday, the number of patients still awaiting treatment at the end of July rose by over 100,000 compared to the end of June, reaching a total of 7.7 million.

The number of patients waiting over 12 months increased from 383,083 to 389,952, and there were 7,289 patients waiting over 18 months, up from 7,177—an indication of the health service’s ongoing failure to meet the target of eliminating all 18-month waits by April of this year.

In July 2023, the number of patients waiting over 15 months fell from 97,275 to 96,722. There were 277 patients waiting over two years, down from 314, although by July 2022, these long waits were meant to have been eradicated.

These figures will intensify the pressure on Sunak, who has promised to reduce waiting lists before the next general election, where healthcare will be a central issue.

Since December of last year, a series of strikes has led to the cancellation of over 885,000 inpatient and outpatient appointments. NHS England acknowledged that the actual impact of the strikes is likely to be even greater, as many services avoided scheduling planned appointments on strike days to prioritize emergency care. Junior doctors and consultants are planning further stoppages next week, including an unprecedented day of combined action.

Julian Redhead, national clinical director for urgent and emergency care, stated that despite the pressures caused by a surge in demand for emergency care and an increase in Covid-19 cases during the summer, response times for category 2 ambulances were over 10 minutes faster compared to a year ago. Category 2 calls include suspected heart attacks and strokes.

NHS England also reported that July saw the highest monthly total of urgent GP referrals for cancer so far this year.

Alongside some reductions in long waits, the data from Thursday showed an improvement in average waits for elective care, with the median wait for inpatient treatment in July standing at 11.3 weeks— the lowest since December 2022. However, the proportion of patients waiting longer than 18 weeks to begin treatment increased slightly, surpassing the standard of only 8 percent and reaching over 40 percent.

Wes Streeting, Labour’s shadow health secretary, stated that for millions of patients across England, the NHS is no longer there when they need it. He described Sunak as “Inaction Man,” accusing him of refusing to meet with doctors to end NHS strikes and contributing to the Conservatives’ NHS backlog, causing patients to endure months of pain and suffering.

Siva Anandaciva, chief analyst at The King’s Fund think-tank, highlighted the “real issues” surrounding lengthy wait times for care in essential services, including A&E departments where only 73 percent of patients were being seen within four hours, well below the NHS standard of 95 percent.

Cancer Research UK expressed concern over the missed targets for various key cancer indicators. Michelle Mitchell, the charity’s chief executive, stated that these figures represent some of the worst delays experienced by patients and illustrate the immense pressure faced by NHS staff.

The government emphasized that reducing waiting lists is one of its top five priorities and claimed that, despite disruptions caused by strikes, it has almost completely eliminated 18-month waits. It also announced a £200 million funding injection to help the NHS in England accelerate treatment during the coming winter.