Today’s official data showed that 5.83million people are still waiting for NHS treatment. It is now the eleventh consecutive month.
NHS England data shows 1.6million more Britons were waiting for elective surgery — such as hip and keen operations — at the end of September compared to the start of the pandemic.
In order to accommodate the infected, hospitals had to cancel thousands more operations due to the Covid-fuelled backlog.
Today, NHS chiefs warned that the NHS is facing unsustainable pressure due to winter pressures and the increased demand for Covid care from patients in hospital.
Official figures indicate that the rates of hospitalizations and Covid infection are declining. There were around 7,000 hospitalized patients in England in the week ending September 1, compared with 12,000 in the previous year.
Chief executives of social care have warned that the ‘no job, no jab’ policy for care homes will put more pressure on hospitals. This is because their sector does not have enough capacity to accept patients who are leaving hospitals.
The same mandate will be applied to frontline NHS staff starting in spring. This is likely to increase pressure on the NHS.
Meanwhile, a record number of Britons made 999 calls and waited more than 12 hours at A&E.
Today’s official data showed that the NHS waiting lists for routine treatment in England have reached 5.83million. It is now the eleventh consecutive month at a record height. Some 1.6million more Britons were waiting for elective surgery — such as hip and keen operations — at the end of September compared to the start of the pandemic
Despite the total A&E admissions in England being just two per cent more than one month earlier and equal to the number of people who came forward during the same month in 2019, 7,059 patients were forced to wait more than 12 hours to be seen at A&E. This record-breaking figure represents 40% more than 5,024 patients who had to wait so long one month ago. This figure is five-fold higher than September 2020, and ten-fold more than that of the same month in 2019.
According to NHS England, September’s backlog is at its highest since 2007.
And the number of Britons waiting more than a year for treatment soared to 300,566, after five months of dropping. This figure is 3 percent higher than the previous month (292,138), and twice the amount of the same month last (139,545).
This means that one-in-20 people (52%) who are on the waiting list were in September awaiting treatment waited more than 12 months.
For comparison, in September 2019 — before the pandemic hit — just 1,305 patients were forced to wait more than 52 weeks for treatment — less than one per cent of the waiting list.
And data for A&E shows 2.1million people turned up for emergency care in October. And it was the busiest October ever for major A&E departments — which includes those working 24-hours that accept A&E admissions and have full resuscitation facilities — with 1.4million patients attending them, compared to 1.3million in October 2019.
But despite the total A&E admissions in England being just two per cent more than one month earlier and equal to the number of people who came forward during the same month in 2019, 7,059 patients were forced to wait more than 12 hours to be seen at A&E.
The record-high figure is 40 per cent more than the 5,024 forced to wait that long one month earlier. This figure is five-fold higher than September 2020, and ten-fold more than that of the same month in 2019.
In September, almost 370,000 people in England waited more than 6 weeks to receive a crucial diagnostic test.
According to NHS England, 369,207 people were still waiting for one of the 15 standard tests such as an MRI scan or non-obstetric ultrasound, and a total of 359,000 patients had already received it.
In September 2020, the equivalent number of people who waited for six or more weeks was 419 841; in September 2019, there were 38 802.
In September there were 231,421 cancer urgent referrals made by GPs across England. This is an increase of 15% from September’s 201,013 last year. In September 2019, the equivalent was 195196, which is not a pandemic year.
Urgent referrals where breast cancer symptoms were present — though not initially suspected — were up from 11,122 in September last year to 12,088 in September 2021.
The proportion of cancer patients who begin treatment within one month has dropped to its lowest point since 2009.
The health service’s own standards set out that 96 per cent of people should begin treatment, such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy, within 30 days of the patient and doctor deciding to proceed with it.
But in September, just 92.6 per cent of patients (25,329 out of 27,342) had their first treatment within the time frame, meaning 2,013 people were forced to wait for longer to receive life-saving care.
And the proportion of patients beginning cancer treatment within two months of an urgent GP referral — which NHS guidelines should be 85 per cent — fell to its lowest-ever level since records began more than a decade ago.
Only 68% of patients with cancer start treatment in the time frame, which means that more than 3 out 10 people were required to wait longer.
Matthew Taylor is the Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation. He said that in a poll of more than 500 leaders from all areas of the NHS, nine out of ten said they are unable to sustain the present situation and that patient care has been compromised.
According to him, there are still thousands of patients in the hospital for Covid. The hospitalisation rate has started to drop in the past few days. That’s good. However, many people are still in hospital.
“After that, we have the winter pressures as normal and then there is the massive amount of unmet demand from the pandemic.
“When you combine these three factors, the result is a situation that almost all leaders in the health system now consider unsustainable.”
When Taylor was asked what “unsustainable” meant, he said that it means quality and safety are compromised and it’s very hard for hospitals to get into the huge backlog of elective care.
Taylor claimed that patients with very advanced conditions are being seen in emergency departments, and added there was a ‘overwhelming’ demand.
Professor Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director said there is ‘no doubt pressure on the health service remains incredibly high’, with staff answering the highest number of 999 calls ever made in a month, the busiest October on record for major A&E departments and the rollout of booster Covid jabs.
He added: “But, despite high demand. NHS staff are going beyond and beyond for more patients and to deliver millions more checks, treatments, and operations.
The NHS is seeing an increase in patients who are seeking treatment. This trend will continue.
“All people who need help should contact 111 online. This will allow staff to provide the most appropriate care for their patients. To protect yourself this winter, it’s vital to obtain your Covid vaccine and your flu jab.