NHS waiting list grows... AGAIN! 7.2m patients now in queue for routine ops trends now
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The number of people waiting for routine hospital treatment has surged to a new high, official figures show as hospital bosses warn strikes will cause even more chaos.
NHS data shows 7.2million patients in England were stuck in the backlog by October — equivalent to one in eight people. More than 400,000 had been queuing, often in pain, for at least one year.
The A&E crisis also worsened, with a third of emergency department attendees not seen within the health service's four-hour target — the worst performance on record. More than 1,200 patients per day faced waits of more than 12 hours.
Health chiefs have warned that a wave of strike action later this month among nurses and paramedics will cripple the health service further. Its performance is already deteriorating due to a surge in bed blockers, flu patients and demand from parents worried about the Strep A outbreak.
Official figures show 7.1million people in England were in the queue for routine hospital treatment, such as hip and knee operations, by the end of September — the equivalent of one in eight people (red line). The figure
