Hospital waiting list hits new high

The latest figures show that over 7.5 million people were waiting for hospital appointments or treatment at the end of June 2023.

The number of people on waiting lists has increased by more than 3 million since Covid-19 . 383,000 of those waiting have been waiting for longer than a year.

Cancer targets for referral are also not being met.

The waiting list is a visible backlog but research by Healthwatch also shows there is a hidden backlog of care. For cancer treatment findings show

• Almost half, 45%, of respondents are not referred for suspected cancer at their first appointment.
• Around one in seven,  are still waiting for referrals to be confirmed over a month after the decision to refer.
• One in 10 cancer referrals don’t directly progress to a hospital appointment, with some referrals either rejected, lost, or otherwise not booked.

Junior doctors In England go on strike for four days from 7am on Friday 11 August until 7am on Tuesday 15 August. This will lead to further disruption of planned care in the NHS.

Recently NHS England published its Choice Framework restating the choices patients have regarding NHS treatment including when waiting over 18 weeks or over two weeks for an urgent cancer referral.

Ruth Light, Healthwatch Coventry Chief Officer said:

"Patient choice is an important right in NHS care but it can be hard to use. The reality seems to be that current waiting times are longer than 18 weeks for most treatment at most hospitals."