The NHS England figures mean that around one in ten people served by the trust, which runs Pinderfields, Pontefract and Dewsbury hospitals, is now on a waiting list.

It has also been revealed that the trust does not have a full-time neurology consultant and is sharing services with neighbouring Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Simon Lightwood, Labour MP for Wakefield, called the new figures “appalling” and a “damning indictment on the current state of the NHS.”

Mr Lightwood cited the experience of one of his constituents, who has been told she will have to wait between 63 and 65 weeks for an appointment with a neurology consultant, following a referral by her GP.

The patient, who asked not to be named, said she contacted her doctor in April when she began suffering from dizziness and struggled to balance when walking.

She said: “I had an MRI scan and it came back clear. But my doctor was still concerned about my symptoms and said I should still see a neurologist. I was astonished when I was told I would have to wait well over a year before anyone would see me at Pinderfields.

“I’ve been told I can pay to go private but have no idea what the costs could be or if I could afford them. I am really worried about what might be wrong and it is just not right that anyone should have to wait so long.”

Mr Lightwood said: “It is heartbreaking to hear that one of my constituents is having to wait well in excess of a year on an NHS waiting list. The rise in waiting times has been caused by the successive failures by the Conservatives to provide the NHS with the staff it so desperately needs.

“We need an NHS fit for the future with a fully-costed plan to reform health and care services and provide the NHS with the workforce it desperately needs.”

Chris Evans, chief operating officer and deputy chief executive at the Mid-Yorkshire Trust, said: “We understand that waiting for an appointment is a worrying and stressful experience for patients, and we are working hard to address this issue. We continue to prioritise those who are waiting according to clinical need.

“We have taken several steps to reduce waiting times for surgery, including actively growing our surgical capacity by improving our surgical facilities, and investing in new equipment which allows us to carry out surgical procedures in a less invasive manner, reducing the time patients spend in hospital and providing capacity for more patients.”

Mr Evans said the trust is working with other providers in the region to “share resources and expertise”.

He said: “This has allowed us to treat those who have waited longest in line with national milestones, with our next priority to reduce to no one waiting longer than 65 weeks by March 2024.

“However, we acknowledge we still have some way to go to fully recover and will continue to work hard to ensure our patients receive the best possible service and to reduce waiting times as much as is possible.”

Mid-Yorkshire NHS Trust waiting list: Waiting list for treatment at Yorkshire NHS Trust reaches 55,000