Latest NHS data shows that more than 300,000 NHS patients in England have now been waiting more than a year for routine surgery.
Highlighting the impact of the second wave of coronavirus, the statistics for waiting times in January show that year-long waits rose by 75,000 in a month from December 2020.
Additionally, the number of people having to wait more than 52 weeks for hospital treatment stood at 304,044 in January 2021, the highest number for any calendar month since January 2008. There were just 1,643 patients waiting over a year in January 2020.
The number of patients admitted for routine treatments in January fall by 54 per cent compared to the year before. A total of 139,378 patients were admitted, compared with 304,888 in January 2020. The level of admissions to hospital dropped 25 per cent in December compared to 2019 and in November fell 27 per cent.
A total of 377,651 patients were waiting for one of 15 standard tests, such as an MRI scan. This compares to just 46,157 in January 2020.
The overall waiting list for planned or elective treatment is now estimated at almost 4.7 million people with a third of patients waiting beyond 18 weeks. All in all it means that there are now more patients waiting for treatment than at any point since records began in August 2007.
NHS England said that despite these pressures 1.3 million non-coronavirus patients were treated in January, compared with 847,000 in April, during the first wave of the virus.
The figures also indicate that cancer referrals in January also fell by 11 per cent, with a total of 171,231 urgent referrals by GPs, compared with 191,852 in the same month in 2020.
Tim Mitchell, vice-president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: “These numbers reflect the dire situation that engulfed our hospitals in January. Covid transmission and admissions escalated at an alarming rate, putting tremendous strain on our healthcare system.
“In London, for instance, surgical staff and facilities were re-deployed to look after patients with the virus. There was a serious threat hospitals would be pushed beyond their limits, and even urgent cancer surgeries were postponed.
“Behind today’s statistics are people waiting in limbo. Many will be in considerable pain, others will have restricted mobility and be at risk of isolation and loneliness. Dealing with this daunting backlog will take time, and also sustained investment in the NHS.
“Frontline healthcare staff in hospitals have been fighting this crisis for a year. Many are exhausted and need time to recover. The latest wave of Covid may have subsided, but the huge sea of need behind it is now coming into view.”
