The number of people waiting for NHS treatment in England has risen to a record high, according to new figures.
More than 7,331,000 people were waiting to start treatment at the end of March – a rise of 100,000 on the month before.
It is the highest number since records began in August 2007 and comes after Health Secretary Steve Barclay admitted that the Government had not met its ambition to eliminate all waits of 18 months by April of this year.
In January, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made cutting waiting lists one of his priorities for 2023, pledging in January that “lists will fall and people will get the care they need more quickly”.
A total of 359,798 people in England had been waiting more than 52 weeks to start routine hospital treatment at the end of March.
This is down slightly from 362,498 at the end of February.
And the number of people waiting more than 18 months to start treatment also fell from 29,778 to 10,737, as the health service continues to prioritise eliminating cases with the longest waits.
In London, the total number of people waiting for treatment grew by 13,600 compared with the month before.
It means the capital has the second highest regional total, after the Midlands.
Patients waiting for operations such as hip and knee replacements and general surgeries such as gallbladder removals and hernia repairs are continue to wait the longest. the figures showed.
A total of 804,180 patients waiting for Trauma & Orthopaedics, 589,372 waiting for Ear, Nose and Throat treatment, and 448,580 waiting for General Surgery.â¯
The figures come amid strikes by junior doctors and nurses which have led to the cancellation of hundreds of thousands of procedures and appointments.
The British Medical Association (BMA) on Tuesday said it would take the “first steps” towards securing a new ballot for industrial action – despite ongoing talks with the Government to resolve a pay dispute.
The BMA, whose current mandate runs until August, have not called further strikes since entering into negotiations with Mr Barclay last month. Around 47,000 junior doctors have already taken part in two sets of strikes in the past two months.
Separately, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced on Tuesday night that a fresh ballot for strike action would begin on May 23 and run for a month.
In March, senior health figures told the Health Service Journal (HSJ) there would still be around 11,000 patients on the elective waiting list who have been waiting longer than 78 weeks at the start of April.
Saoirse Mallorie, Senior Analyst at The King’s Fund, said of the figures: “This is yet another month of worrying statistics that show people not getting the standard of care they need, and yet another month waiting for the oft-promised and long-overdue workforce plan, which must have funding to underpin it.
“There also needs to be a shift in focus from receiving care in hospitals to care closer to home. This involves investing properly in primary and community care services, as well as social care reform and full engagement with the voluntary sector.”
