Hospital Waiting Lists Hits 7.5 Million In England

The BBC has reported this week that NHS waiting lists in England have climbed to a new record high of 7.57 million people.

The number taken at the end of June is an increase of 100,000 from the end of May. By the end of June, 383,083 people had been waiting more than a year to start routine treatment.

Some progress has been made. The Government and NHS England previously set out an ambition to eliminate all waits of more than 18 months by April this year. Following this, the number of people waiting more than 18 months was estimated to be 7,177 at the end of June, compared to 11,446 at the end of May. The target set excluded exceptionally complex cases or where patients chose to wait longer.

However, the numbers show that the issues are still significant and there remain inadequate waits for patients who need treatment.

The Impacts of strike action

NHS England has said that recent strike action has had an impact on the increasing numbers. Junior doctors were on strike for three days in June which led to the cancellation of more than 100,000 appointments.

The published data comes ahead of the next round of scheduled junior doctor strikes with British Medical Association members due to begin their four-day walkout from 7am on Friday, 11 August.

NHS England warn of the “significant disruption” this is likely to cause given junior doctors represent almost half of the medical workforce.

Current plans

The NHS has recently announced that patients affected by backlogs could skip the queue at their local hospital if they are willing to travel to other parts of England. The system was initially launched in January for patients needing hospital admission, but will now include cancer, diagnostic checks, and outpatient appointments.

The Government has also revealed it would expand its use of the private sector capacity in a bid to ease pressure on the NHS. Thirteen new community diagnostic centres (CDCs) will open across England, eight of which will be privately run. The facilities are projected to conduct an additional 742,000 scans, checks, and tests every year.

Comment

The latest figures clearly illustrate the significant pressures on the NHS.

The inclusion of cancer patients being allowed to skip the queue at their local hospital if they are willing to travel to other parts of England is welcome given only 59% of cancer patients started their treatment within 62 days of an urgent GP referral during June.

However, it is often not possible for people to travel, therefore this cannot be the only solution and further work is needed to consider how to accommodate those who cannot make the choice to travel for necessary treatment.