NHS waiting list record smashed again despite Sunak's plan to cut it
More than one in eight of the population is on a hospital waiting list, new figures have revealed, ITV News Correspondent John Ray reports
NHS waiting lists are still getting longer, despite Rishi Sunak's promise they will fall, and the latest statistics show another record has been smashed.
There are more people waiting to start routine hospital treatment than at any time since records began in 2007, with around 100,000 people joining this waiting list in a month.
An estimated 7.6 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of June, up from 7.5 million in May, NHS England said.
One of the prime minister's top priorities is cutting NHS waiting lists. In January Sunak promised “lists will fall and people will get the care they need more quickly”.
The latest numbers show the government has already failed on its pledge to eliminate all waits of more than 18 months by April this year, with 7,177 people still estimated to have been waiting more than a year and a half. This is down from 11,446 at the end of May.
The Liberal Democrats said the statistics show Health Secretary Steve Barclay is "not up to the job and owes the public an apology".
"The NHS is being pushed to the brink through neglect, incompetence, and disregard for the needs of patients," said LibDem health spokeswoman Daisy Cooper MP.
“This Conservative government should hang their heads in shame. Rishi Sunak needs to bring forward a proper plan to bring down waiting times as a matter of urgency.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson insisted the NHS was "making progress" on waiting lists.
“We have virtually eliminated 18-month waits and are taking action to bring down waits of over a year – including reducing the number of people requiring follow-up appointments."
The PM has had some success, but the improvements are marginal
The number of people waiting more than 52 weeks to start routine hospital treatment at the end of June fell slightly to 383,083, down from 385,022 at the end of May.
There's a long way to go however for the government to hit its target of eliminating all waits of more than a year by March 2025.
And many in the health service believe the situation is getting worse rather than improving, with industrial action stalling progress.
So far, almost 835,000 appointments have been postponed as a result of industrial action since December across the health service in England, according to NHS figures, and that number will soon top a million.
The number of people waiting more than 12 hours in A&E departments in England from a decision to admit to actually being admitted was 23,934 in July, down 10% from 26,531 in June.
The figure hit a record 54,573 in December 2022.
The number waiting at least four hours from the decision to admit to admission has also fallen, from 113,834 in June to 109,515 in July, a drop of 4%.
Strikes stymie progress
Swathes of health service workers have gone on strike this year, including nurses, consultants and junior doctors, with the latter set to walk out from Friday to Tuesday.
And the true number of cancellations caused by strikes could be up to double the official figure, which health service leaders say is the "tip of the iceberg".
NHS England's National Clinical Director for Urgent and Emergency Care Professor Julian Redhead said the latest waiting list stats show the "significant pressure on staff".
She said this summer is "currently on trajectory to be the busiest in NHS history, all while industrial action continues to disrupt services".
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan MP, Labour's shadow minister for mental health said: “Rishi Sunak has no plan to turn this around, he only offers excuses. He blames hard-working doctors and nurses, yet he hasn’t lifted a finger to stop the strikes."
This summer is predicted to be the busiest ever for emergency departments
This July was the second busiest ever for emergency departments, with 2.1 million attendees.
“Despite this, hard-working staff are delivering improvements in urgent and emergency care waiting times while also tackling the backlog by doing more tests and checks than any July on record and seeing record numbers of people with suspected cancer," Prof Redhead said.
Some 74.0% of patients in England were seen within four hours in A&Es last month, up from 73.3% in June.
The figure hit a record low of 65.2% in December.
The NHS recovery plan sets a target of March 2024 for 76% of patients attending A&E to be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.
Over June and July there were 4.42 million attendances in A&E – 42,500 more than the previous high of 4.37 million in 2022.
Ambulances get quicker but not as fast as the government wants
The average response time in July for ambulances in England dealing with the most urgent incidents, defined as calls from people with life-threatening illnesses or injuries, was eight minutes and 21 seconds, NHS figures show.
This is down from eight minutes and 41 seconds in June but is above the target standard response time of seven minutes.
Ambulances took an average of 31 minutes and 50 seconds last month to respond to emergency calls such as heart attacks, strokes and sepsis.
This is down from 36 minutes and 49 seconds in June, while the target is 18 minutes.
Response times for urgent calls, such as late stages of labour, non-severe burns and diabetes, averaged one hour, 50 minutes and nine seconds in July, down from two hours, five minutes and 40 seconds in June.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “It’s encouraging to see improved ambulance response times, despite record A&E attendances and demand for July.
"We are working to get 800 new ambulances on the road, create 5,000 extra hospital beds and scale up virtual wards as part of our Urgent and Emergency Care plan to further reduce waiting times.”
Improvements on cancer waiting lists but targets still not met
It was another record month for cancer checks with over 261,000 urgent referrals in June, NHS England said.
Around 59% of cancer patients who had their first treatment in June after an urgent GP referral had waited less than two months, up slightly from 58.7% in May, NHS England figures show. The target is 85%.
Meanwhile, 73.5% of patients urgently referred for suspected cancer were diagnosed or had cancer ruled out within 28 days, up from 71.3% the previous month.
The NHS elective recovery plan sets a goal of March 2024 for 75% of patients who have been urgently referred by their GP for suspected cancer to be diagnosed or have cancer ruled out within 28 days.
Some 261,006 urgent cancer referrals were made by GPs in England in June, up 6% on 245,595 in May and up 13% year-on-year from 231,868 in June 2022.
The proportion of cancer patients who saw a specialist within two weeks of being referred urgently by their GP fell slightly from 80.8% in May to 80.5% in June, remaining below the target of 93%.
The 93% target was last hit in May 2020, during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Junior doctors strike again this week
Looking ahead to the upcoming junior doctor strikes, which run from 7am on Friday August 11 to 7am on Tuesday August 15, Prof Redhead said people should still use the NHS.
“While tomorrow the NHS will see a fifth round of junior doctor strike action with thousands of appointments and procedures likely to be postponed, the NHS will need to prioritise emergency care once again.
“So please continue to use 999 if it is a life-threatening emergency and 111 online for any other health concerns, while GPs and pharmacies are also unaffected by strikes.”
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