One in eight people in Devon are on NHS waiting list

The number of people on the NHS waiting list in Devon has risen by 40,000 in just two years, new data shows.

As of the end of November, there were 143,695 people in Devon on the waiting list for NHS treatment - that’s the equivalent of one in eight people in the county.

Those figures have grown from 103,970 in November 2020, and 85,849 in November 2019.

Most people on the list have been waiting less than 18 weeks - however the likelihood of waiting under that limit is falling.

The target is that 92% of people on the list will have been waiting less than 18 weeks. In November 2019, 78.2% of people in Devon had been waiting less time, by November 2021 it was 56.4%.

12,471 people had been waiting more than a year in November.

That is compared to 6,992 the previous November, just 12 months earlier.

In April last year, NHS England began publishing the number of people who had been waiting more than two years.

In Devon, there were 103 patients in April, then by November 2021, there were 873.

The waiting list across England hit 6.0 million in November, the highest number since records began in August 2007.

One in 20 people on the list, or 306,996 patients, had been waiting more than a year for treatment.

In April 2021, 2,608 people across the country had been waiting more than two years for treatment, by November, that had soared to 18,585.

Yesterday (February 7), NHS England had been expected to publish a blueprint to reduce waiting lists for non-urgent treatment in England after the pandemic.

However, the plan has been delayed, with reports the Treasury had refused to sign off on the proposals amid concerns about value for money.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid insisted the publication of the blueprint had been pushed back due to the Omicron surge in December and rejected claims of tensions at the top of Government.

Speaking in an interview with Sky News, Mr Javid said: "We will publish the plan shortly.

"What I would say about the Treasury is that I couldn't wish for a better partner when it comes to the challenges I have. I don't recognise that at all."

"Having been Chancellor, having a close relationship with the Treasury, having a strong partnership for any department is crucial and right now for health and care I am just really pleased we have got that really good working relationship."

Dr Chaand Nagpaul BMA Council Chair, is not happy with this delay and said many of those on the waiting list will be suffering in pain, with a real risk conditions will worsen with further delays.

He said: “The Government has a moral duty to these patients, and it needs to urgently lay out exactly how it plans to address this record backlog and ensure they get the treatment they need.

“For doctors, who are desperate to provide the best care they can for patients, they will be waking up this morning incredibly concerned to hear that vital funding for the NHS is being held up once again.

“The Government has been promising this plan for months now, and while the arrival of Omicron may have delayed this, healthcare staff now urgently need to know how leaders expect them to tackle the backlog in the months and years ahead, and crucially, provide resources to help them do this.”