NHS wait lists have hit a new record high and are rising again amid strike chaos.
The number of Brits due treatment increased to 7,218,001 in February, NHS figures show – a backslide after hospitals brought it below 7.2m in November.
PANHS waiting lists are growing as demand and strikes pile pressure on clinics[/caption]
Huge winter demand and industrial action by nurses and ambulance crews put a dent in efforts to bust the backlog.
Current junior doctors’ strikes – which end on Saturday morning – will add to patient woes with another 350,000 appointments at risk of cancellation on top of 175,000 in the first walkout.
Meanwhile, figures published for the first time show one in ten visitors to A&E spend more than 12 hours there.
Miriam Deakin, from NHS Providers, said: “It’s clear the ongoing strikes are hindering progress on care backlogs.”
NHS England’s medical director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: “The last few months have been demanding for the NHS as record numbers of patients have come forward on top of hugely disruptive strike action.”
The NHS said it is bringing down the longest op waits and the number of patients waiting 18 months fell by a third in a month to 29,778.
But A&E delays are laid bare in new data that show how many people wait 12 hours or more from arrival to discharge or admission.
In February it was 10.6 per cent – 125,505 out of 1.2million visits.
At the worst hospitals a quarter of visitors spend half a day or more in casualty.
Charities warn waits for cancer treatment are still too long, with thousands not starting vital therapy within the two-month target.
Dr Tim Cooksley, from the Society of Acute Medicine, said: “We are heading for extremely troubled times.
“We must not wait until the middle of winter for a chaotic and dangerous situation before recognising just how precarious the position is.
“Strike action will have and may continue to impact performance, but it is not the fundamental cause of the issues.”