Almost 5 million people wait for hospital treatment in England - highest since records began

The Covid pandemic has led to almost five million people being stuck on a hospital waiting list in England - the highest number since records began in 2007.

The number of people on the waiting list rose to 4.95m in March 2021 (up from 4.69m in February 2021), according to NHS England figures - the equivalent of nine per cent of the country's population.

In Scotland a similar percentage of the population is on a hospital waiting list, while in Wales it is 17 per cent and Northern Ireland 23 per cent.

436,000 have been waiting over a year

The number of people waiting for more than a year to get into hospital in England soared to 436,000 at the end of February 2021 (up from just 1,600 before the pandemic).

There was a nationwide halt to many routine NHS services during the coronavirus pandemic because intensive care beds were prioritised for people with Covid but it has caused hospital waiting lists across the UK to balloon.

Treating 400,000 Covid patients 'had a knock on effect'

Some believe it will take the NHS years to get back to pre-pandemic hospital waiting times.

Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief operating officer, said: “Treating around 400,000 COVID patients over the past year has inevitably had a knock-on effect on non-urgent care, but our incredible staff still managed to perform more than two million operations and other treatments in the first two months of this year when the hospitals were at their busiest with COVID patients.

“Thanks to the success of the world-leading vaccine programme, the NHS is now supporting all local health systems in England to treat as many patients whose care was unavoidably disrupted by the pandemic as quickly as possible.

"GPs, specialists and their teams are focusing on those in greatest clinical need and who have been waiting longest, with an additional £1bn funding already announced, available to trusts."

Six million fewer patients referred to hospital in 2020

A report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) also published today indicates waiting lists could get much longer as patients who were unable or unwilling to receive non-Covid care start seeing their GP and are referred to hospital.

The IFS said the pandemic’s impact on NHS hospitals has meant 2.9 million fewer patients received planned care such as hip surgery last year and 1.2 million fewer patients were admitted to hospital as an emergency.

Six million fewer patients were referred for hospital treatment in 2020 than in 2019, analysis by the Health Foundation reveals.

Some have been put off from getting hospital care because they were worried about catching Covid or did not want to burden the NHS.

45,000 missing cancer patients

This is the case for many cancer patients. Analysis by Macmillan Cancer Support suggests there are 45,000 "missing" cancer patients in the UK.

The charity says this could result in more later-stage diagnoses, which could claim more lives.

A quarter of the patients waiting the longest, postponed treatment themselves or experienced difficulties accessing GP and screening services during the pandemic.

NHS England has today announced plans to put £160m into innovative schemes to cut waiting times for surgery, diagnostic tests and outpatient appointments.

Over the next three months, tens of thousands of patients will benefit from the money spent on initiatives that include a high-volume cataract service, one stop testing facilities, greater access to specialist advice for GPs and pop-up clinics so patients can be seen and discharged closer to home.

Virtual wards and home assessments, 3D eye scanners, at-home antibiotic kits, AI in GP surgeries and ‘Super Saturday’ clinics (where multi-disciplinary teams work at the weekend to offer specialist appointments) will also be trialled.

The NHS chief operating officer also said the NHS aims "to exceed the same number of tests and treatments as they did before the pandemic and develop a blueprint for elective recovery to enable hospitals to go further and faster."

Patients Association: 'Multiple appointments postponed'

Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: “Patients are anxious about what this will mean for them.

"This worry comes on top of the impact of having to live for longer with the pain or discomfort of their condition, and for many is compounded by having had multiple appointments postponed or cancelled.

"Steps to accelerate the recovery of elective treatment are therefore very welcome – the importance of treatment being timely, to ensure the best possible outcomes, is well recognised.

"Effective communication with patients at this critical juncture is also essential."