NHS longest waits "virtually eliminated"

According to an NHS press release, the longest waits for scans, checks, surgical procedures and other routine treatment have been "virtually eliminated".

This is the first milestone in the NHS Elective Recovery Plan, which was published earlier this year, and sets out how the health service can address the Covid backlog.

The plan's first step was focused on people who had waited two years or more - however those who chose to wait longer, did not want to travel to be seen faster, or very complex cases requiring specialist treatment were excluded from the stats.

At the start of the year, there were more than 22,500 people who had been waiting two years or more and a further 51,000 who would have been waiting two years by the end of July. This number has been reduced to 2,777.

NHS staff including nurses, doctors, therapist and physios have been praised for their hard work.

NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: “Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our staff, the NHS has delivered the first mile-stone in our Elective Recovery Plan.

“It has only been possible because the NHS has continued to reform the way we deliver care, using innovative techniques and adopting pioneering technology like robot surgery, and through building new relationships and mutual aid arrangements across systems to offer patients the opportunity to be transferred elsewhere and get the care they need as quickly as possible.

“The next phase will focus on patients waiting longer than 18 months, building on the fantastic work already done, and while it is a significant challenge our remarkable staff have shown that when we are given the tools and resources we need, the NHS delivers for our patients”.