Number of patients waiting to start NHS treatment surges to another record high

An estimated 7.3 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of March, up from 7.2 million in February.

The Government has also missed its own target of eliminating 18 month waits for planned care such as hip and knee replacements.

It comes after health bosses and the British Medical Association cautioned against some elements of the Government’s plan to reform healthcare earlier this week, including creating apprenticeships for school leavers to become doctors, which it is understood could start as early as September.

The figures released by the NHS show long waiting times across the board, however there were some signs of improvement.

In England, the number of patients waiting longer than 62 days since an urgent GP referral for suspected cancer stood at 19,248 in the week ending April 2.

While this down from nearly 34,000 at the end of September 2022, it was short of the Government’s target of returning the number of patients waiting more than 62 days to pre-pandemic levels by March 2023.

The average weekly figure for February 2020 (covering the four weeks to March 1) was 13,463.

In other areas, there are signs of waiting times lengthening, rather than coming down.

The proportion of cancer patients who saw a specialist within two weeks of being referred urgently by their GP fell from 86.1 per cent in February to 83.9 per cent in March, remaining below the 93 per cent target.

Some 63.5 per cent of cancer patients who had their first treatment in March after an urgent GP referral had waited less than two months, up from 58.2 per cent in February. The target is 85 per cent.

Although the Government fell short in its ambition to eliminate 18-month waits for planned NHS care, the number of patients waiting that long has fallen, with 10,737 people at the end of March, compared to 29,778 at the end of February.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomed the figures, saying: “I promised I would cut NHS waiting lists and we are delivering.

“Reducing 18-month waits by over 90 per cent is huge progress, and it is testament to the hard work of NHS staff who have achieved this despite one of the busiest winters on record.”

But after health secretary Steve Barclay said the Government was delivering “despite strikes”, Labour reacted angrily, with shadow health secretary Wes Streeting saying: “Rishi Sunak has broken his promise to end 18-month waits for NHS treatment, leaving thousands of patients in pain and discomfort for unacceptably long.

“This is just the latest broken promise that shows you can’t trust the Tories with the NHS.

“Ministers blame strikes, as if they are mere bystanders. It was their refusal to speak to nurses and junior doctors that forced them out on strike in the first place.”

Assistant director of policy at the Health Foundation, Tim Gardner, said: “Today’s data confirms that the NHS has fallen short of its target to eliminate waits of over 18 months for hospital treatment…

“With services and staff under intense pressure, patients continue to pay the price.