Almost 1.2 million people in England are waiting more than six months for essential NHS services such as brain surgery and eye treatment because of the coronavirus backlog.

The May 2021 figure is almost five times that recorded in the same period in 2019, before the pandemic hit, and also includes patients requiring gynaecological services. The number of patients waiting for gynaecological services stood at 15,647 in May 2019, rising to 48,168 in May 2020 before reaching 87,628 in the same period this year.

Though the vast majority of patients are supposed to be seen within 18 weeks, six-month waiting lists have doubled for ear, nose and throat services and gastroenterology services when compared to the same period in 2020.

The figures for May 2021 revealed 212,770 patients had waited for more than six months for trauma and orthopaedic services. A further 130,224 waited for more than six months for ophthalmology services.

Dr Sarah Scobie, deputy director of research of the Nuffield Trust, said: “We haven’t yet seen the peak of pent-up demand or the full impact of the multiple waves of this pandemic. Despite staff working flat out, overturning a backlog of this scale will take years. This will leave many people struggling with the day-to-day challenges of managing health conditions while waiting for essential treatment, risking storing up more urgent care needs for the near future.”

The findings follow a series of data releases from the service showing unprecedented waiting lists, which exceeded five million for the first time in April, rising to 5.3 million in May.

The figures come just before NHS England releases its latest monthly statistics on waiting times for treatments including A&E care, surgery and cancer care.