Wednesday 3 August 2022 10:24 AM NHS fails to hit key backlog target: Ministers admit two-year waits WEREN'T ... trends now
Ministers have admitted that the NHS has failed to meet a key summer deadline to treat all patients who have been waiting for routine care for over two years.
Under the Covid recovery plan, former Health Secretary Sajid Javid said no one in England would be waiting more than 24 months for hospital care, such as hip and knee operations, by July.
But Health Minister Maria Caulfield has admitted that 'a small number of patients' were still waiting beyond two years by the end of last month.
Official NHS statistics for July will not be available until September.
But the most recent figures show more than 8,000 patients were still facing two-year waits, often in pain, by the end of May.
Labour said the admission showed that the Government has 'overpromised and underdelivered', leaving patients 'paying the price'.
It comes amid an NHS crisis, with the number of patients waiting for routine hospital treatment soaring to record highs every month for nearly two years. One in eight people were in the queue by May.
Ministers have admitted that the NHS will fail to meet a key deadline to treat all patients who have been waiting for treatment for over two years for routine treatment by July. The number of patients queuing for more than two years, which only started to be logged in April 2021, peaked at nearly 24,000 in January. But 8,028 patients were still queuing by May
The NHS backlog for routine treatment grew from 6.4million in April to 6.6million in May, the latest month with data, meaning one in eight people in England are now waiting for elective care, often in pain
In a written question to the Department of Health on July 11, Labour Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting (pictured) asked how many patients with complex needs were estimated to have been waiting more than two years for care by the end of July. In a written response on July 18, Maria Caulfield said 'no formal estimate has been made, as no centrally validated data is available'. The nurse and Tory MP for Lewes added: 'However, engagement with the National Health Service suggests a small number of patients with complex cases will have waited longer than two years for NHS treatment by the end of July 2022'
In a written question to the Department of Health on July 11, Labour Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting asked how many patients with complex needs were estimated to have been waiting more than two years for care by the end of July.
In a written response on July 18, Ms Caulfield said 'no formal estimate has been made, as no centrally validated data is available'.
The nurse and Tory MP for Lewes added: 'However, engagement with the National Health Service suggests a small number of patients with complex cases will have waited longer than two years for NHS treatment by the end of July 2022.'
Commenting on the response, Mr Streeting told The Guardian failing to back up health care pledges with action.
He told the newspaper: 'It is unacceptable for anyone to be left waiting more than one year for healthcare, let alone two.
'Once again the Conservatives have overpromised, [and] undelivered, and patients are paying the price.'
The target was the first set out in Mr Javid's backlog-busting plan.
The number of people waiting for routine treatment
