250,000 patients waiting over 18 weeks for treatment

New research from the Labour Party reveals that the number of people forced to wait over 18 weeks for treatment has nearly doubled since 2011 – an increase of 262,965 patients.

The analysis of figures revealed that some specialisms have seen drastic increases in patients waiting over 18 weeks, with a 206 per cent increase witnessed in long waits for dermatology treatments, a 205 per cent increase seen in long waits for neurology treatments and a 188 per cent increase seen in long waits for rheumatology treatments.

The opposition party says that the government is missing its 92 per cent flagship target for nearly every type of treatment. The number of patients stuck on NHS waiting lists has increased by 1.7 million in the eight years since February 2011, to 4.1 million in February 2019.

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary, said: “These figures are shocking and behind every statistic is an anxious patient waiting longer in pain risking their health deteriorating further. Rather than playing leadership games it’s time the Health Secretary focused on his day job and got a grip of the deep problems facing the NHS.”

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This story was first published in digitalhealth.net

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