The Conservative government has been told it must tackle the worsening staffing crisis within the NHS in England as the number of people waiting for treatment broke the seven million barrier.
Furthermore, according to analysis conducted by The King’s Fund more than 1.5 million people are awaiting diagnosis.
The analysis was published today to coincide with the latest official NHS data which found 7,003,256 people were waiting to start treatment at the end of August – a rise of 200,000 in a month.
Almost 40% of those waiting had been on the list for more than 18 weeks – official target is just 8% to be longer than this.
In total, 387,257 patients were waiting more than 52 weeks and 2,646 patients were waiting more than 104 weeks.
Four specialities have more than half a million patients awaiting treatment in England: Trauma and Orthopaedic treatment (787,726 patients); Ophthalmology (656,759); Gynaecology (545,160) and Ear Nose and Throat (544,228).
Pressures laid bare
The King’s Fund laid the blame for the worsening situation squarely with the Conservatives for failing to invest through successive governments and highlighted that intense pressure was being placed in diagnostics.
Its chief analyst Siva Anandaciva emphasised that NHS services are facing a range of very serious challenges which impact on patients and the quality and timeliness of care they receive.
These include crumbling buildings and outdated equipment, long waiting lists for care, high levels of Covid-19 and growing staff shortages.
“Today’s figures lay bare these pressures,” Anandaciva said.
“Separate analysis by The King’s Fund published today also shows that until the government resolves staffing and equipment issues, diagnostic waits will remain stubbornly high, currently at over 1.5 million people, despite new community diagnostic centres opening their doors.
“Successive governments’ refusal to confront the worsening health and care workforce crisis and their chronic underinvestment in NHS buildings and infrastructure has created this mix of problems.”
Anandaciva warned that this winter, typical seasonal pressures on NHS services will be amplified by Covid-19 and a cost-of-living crisis that could impact on people’s physical and mental health.
“The government must acknowledge stark reality of the situation,” he continued.
“If the current workforce and spending plans are the most the government is willing to offer, then there is little chance the health and care secretary’s Plan for Patients will be delivered.
“And sadly, it will be the public and patients who will suffer for those broken promises.”
One in eight waiting
The British Medical Association (BMA) which represents doctors was equally damning of the government’s approach to the NHS.
BMA council chairman Professor Philip Banfield said: “Whatever way you look at this, these figures are a damning example of what happens when a government persists in failing to properly invest in or resource its health service.
“That one in eight people in England are now waiting for treatment is totally unacceptable. Our NHS is falling apart before our eyes, nowhere near enough is being done to save it and government policy is escalating harm to patients.
“This is primarily a workforce crisis. We need more staff in health and social care. Aside from what doctors have long been telling the BMA, media analysis today has shown that operating theatres are not being used precisely because there aren’t enough staff or beds.”
Remove blockers to choice
Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) director of policy and delivery David Furness echoed the view that the government must now take urgent action to tackle the growing backlog of care and “get a grip of the worsening crisis in the NHS”.
“In her welcome Plan for Patients last month, the new secretary of state for health and social care rightly said that she is here to stand up for patients, and will ensure the public can access all the information they need to choose the fastest possible treatment for them and their families,” he said.
“And with over half of all people waiting for NHS treatment of working age, this must be now seen as an economic, as well as health priority.”
Furness added: “Given today’s historic figures, the secretary of state must now demonstrate that she is a “champion for patients” and put more power in the hands of patients and ensure all blockers to choice are removed, so that NHS patients aren’t left languishing.”