NHS waiting list for operations reaches record high

New NHS England statistics show that there are 4.4 million people in England waiting for an NHS operation, the highest total on record.

The official figures also indicate that there has been a 16 per cent rise in the number of patients who had been waiting more than 18 weeks for non-urgent surgery in June, such as a cataract removal, hip or knee replacement, compared with the same period last year.

This means that only 86.3 per cent of patients waiting to start planned, consultant-led hospital treatment were seen within 18 weeks, despite the government’s 92 per cent target.

The Royal College of Surgeons is calling again for a five-year-plan to clear the backlog of patients waiting for consultant-led treatment, as hospital lists continue to grow, especially after the legal target was quietly dropped from NHS England and NHS Improvement’s accountability framework.

Derek Alderson, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: “The number of patients languishing on waiting lists remains at an utterly unacceptable level. Although the Government has made welcome moves this week to reduce waiting times, by directing more money to hospital infrastructure projects and trying to resolve the pensions issue that has been exacerbating waiting times, there is still a big job ahead.

“The number of operations cancelled between April and June is a strong indication that our NHS continues to take huge strain. Over those three months almost 20,000 patients went through the stress of gearing themselves up mentally and physically for surgery, only to be told at the last minute that their operation would need to be rescheduled.

“Surgeons are also frustrated that the 18-week target no longer seems to be a priority. Performance against this target deteriorates each month that goes by. Its absence from the NHS mandate earlier this year sent a clear signal that it has been downgraded.

“With a record 4.4 million patients on waiting lists, it’s obvious that the backlog won’t be cleared overnight. Hospitals need a clear plan for reducing waiting lists over the next five years. Part of this plan has to be increasing hospital beds across the country – at the very least, 3,000 are needed. We also need the staff and resources to run the wards these hospital beds will be on.”