NHS waiting lists rise for third month in a row after ‘irresponsible and dangerous’ strikes
NHS waiting lists rose for the third month in a row in June as new Health Secretary Wes Streeting said “it will take time to turn it around”.
England’s backlog hit 7.62million, up from 7.6m in May, with nearly all of the progress made over winter now undone.
The increase was baked in before Labour won the election but it puts the spotlight on the party’s pledge to fix the health service.
NHS England said A&E departments are having their busiest summer on record with around 75,000 visits per day.
Saffron Cordery, of NHS Providers, added: “These figures reflect a really tough summer for the NHS.”
Medical director Professor Stephen Powis said: “It is clear that waits for patients across a range of services remain unacceptable and there is much more to do.
“Staff continue to work incredibly hard to deliver the best possible care.”
These statistics show the monumental task the government faces… there are no quick fixes
Tim Gardner
The waiting list fell from an all-time high of 7.77m in September to 7.54m in February but has since risen again.
Patient charities said cancer and heart disease patients are still enduring unacceptably long waits.
NHS chiefs blamed the backslide partly on the junior doctors’ strikes, with three held so far this year.
The most recent junior doctors’ strike, for five days in June, was branded “irresponsible and dangerous” by then-health secretary, Victoria Atkins.
The NHS fears that the current GP industrial action is likely to push waiting lists even higher as doctors slash appointment numbers and send more patients straight to hospital.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “This government has already agreed a pay offer to end the junior doctors’ strike.
“In contrast, Conservative health ministers hadn’t bothered to meet the junior doctors since March.
“It will take time to turn the NHS around but we are working night and day to get it back on its feet.”
Tim Gardner, of the Health Foundation think-tank, said: “There are no quick fixes.
“These statistics show the monumental task the new government now faces.”
REFERRAL BOTCH JOBS 'ADD TO DELAYS'
DOCTORS are making NHS delays worse by not sending patients to quieter hospitals, according to a recent analysis.
NHS rules give patients the right to be treated at any hospital that offers what they need but many GPs simply refer them locally.
Research by the Independent Healthcare Providers Network shows that millions could slash their waiting times with a short drive.
There are 3.2million people on waiting lists at the worst-performing third of hospitals in England.
The IHPN calculated how far those patients would need to travel to the quickest one in their region – and the time they could save.
It found a long-waiting patient in the Midlands could shave off 11 weeks by moving to a hospital 11.8 miles away, cutting their wait time from 20 weeks to 8.5.
In the North West a patient at a poorly performing hospital could slash their wait from 21 weeks to 14 weeks with an 8.5-mile trip, it added.
The Department of Health said: “The NHS is broken and patients are not getting the information they need.”