Figures from NHS England have shown that more people are waiting to start hospital treatment in England than ever before.

Marking the highest number since records began in August 2007, the data shows that a total of 4.95 million people were waiting at the end of March 2021.

The number of people having to wait more than 52 weeks to start hospital treatment stood at 436,127 in March 2021 – the highest number for any calendar month since August 2007, when the figure stood at 578,682. In March 2020 the number having to wait more than 52 weeks to start treatment stood at just 3,097.

The data also shows that the total number of people admitted for routine treatment in hospitals in England was up six per cent in March 2021 compared with a year earlier. Some 220,349 patients were admitted for treatment during the month, compared with 207,754 in March 2020. The equivalent figure for March 2019 was 305,356.

A total of 1.87 million A&E attendances were recorded in April 2021, up from 917,000 in April 2020. The equivalent figure for April 2019 was 2.11 million. Emergency admissions to A&E departments at hospitals in England also showed a rise last month, up from 326,581 in April 2020 to 510,150 in April 2021.