The number of people waiting more than a year for routine treatment, including knee and hip operations, is now over 100 times higher than it was before the pandemic.
Figures released today by NHS England show that there is now a record 4.46 million on the waiting list for routine treatment.
More than 192,000 have waited over one year. In February, before the pandemic started, the figure stood at 1,600.
Delays to A&E departments are also at record levels.
Cancer experts are also warning the disruption to their services was “terrifying” and would cost lives.
It is understood that London’s King’s College Hospital has stopped ‘priority two’ treatments, which are those than need to be done within 28 days.
The total number of people admitted for routine treatment in hospitals in England was down 27% in November compared with a year ago.
Some 222,810 patients were admitted for treatment during the month, down from 303,193 in November 2019.
The year-on-year decrease recorded in September and October was also 27%, while in August the drop was 43%.
Professor Neil Mortensen, president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: “Today’s figures show the calamitous impact of Covid-19 on wait times for operations.
