Mountain to clear NHS waiting list keeps getting bigger

Responding to the latest NHS performance stats, Nuffield Trust Fellow Jessica Morris said:

“The NHS has had some success in clearing the vast majority of two-year waits for treatment against its elective recovery plan, but unfortunately this will not provide any let up for NHS staff. The NHS may have overcome the first hurdle, but as new figures show the mountain to climb to clear the total waiting list keeps getting bigger.

“Long waits are now commonplace across the health and care system. Over 350,000 people have been waiting over one year for planned care, representing 1 in 20 people on the waiting list. Before the pandemic, less than 2,000 people were waiting over a year. Staffing shortages and ongoing pressure from Covid-19, and a broken and overstretched care system, continue to slow down how quickly the NHS can work through this major backlog.”