More than 32,000 patients in East Lancashire waiting for hospital treatment

Figures from NHS Digital have revealed that some 32,030 patients were waiting for elective operations or treatment, in East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust at the end of June, up from 31,936 at the end of May.

And this was 35 per cent more than were waiting a year previously, when there were 23,651 patients on the list.

In Lancashire and South Cumbria, 3,191 patients were waiting for elective operations or treatment at the end of June – though this was down from 3,228 at the end of May.

A year previously, there were 1,561 patients on the list.

The number of people on waiting lists across England has risen to 5.45 million – the highest total for any month since records began in August 2007.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid warned that waiting lists across England will keep rising, despite the number of patients waiting for treatment reaching a new national record.

He said: “The NHS has rightly focused on Covid-19 in this horrible pandemic and that has meant, sadly, that waiting lists have risen.”

Around seven million people who might have needed care during the pandemic are estimated to have stayed away and as some of them start to come forward to the NHS, there will be further increases in waiting lists, the Health Secretary said.

He added that an extra £29billion has gone into the NHS and social care budget this year, and the Government will look at what more it needs to do.

Recent modelling from the Institute for Fiscal Studies warned the NHS waiting list could rise to 14 million by autumn next year but NHS rules state that patients referred for non-urgent consultant-led elective care should start treatment within 18 weeks.

In signs of progress however, the figures show the number of patients waiting longer than 18 weeks for care has dropped by almost 25,000.

At Lancashire and South Cumbria Trust, 14 patients listed for routine treatment at the end of June had been waiting this long.

This was up from nine (0 per cent) waiting at least 18 weeks at the end of May.

Professor Stephen Powis, NHS England national medical director, said the health service is experiencing one of its busiest summers ever – dealing with record patient numbers, and delivering the biggest vaccine rollout in its history.

The Health Foundation said the latest data “highlights the difficult juggling act the NHS faces in meeting emergency pressures, restoring services and addressing the backlog of care while Covid-19 cases still remain high”.

Tim Gardner, senior policy fellow at the charity, added: “The Government and NHS leaders now need to be clear and realistic with the public about how they intend to get the NHS back to full strength.

“There will need to be significant investment at the upcoming spending review if we are to see improvement on waiting lists and addressing the staff shortages which are holding back progress.”