The total for November was the highest since records began in August 2007 and is an increase from 4.42 million a year earlier. The queue included more than 192,000 patients waiting more than a year for procedures including knee and hip operations – up from 1,398 in November 2019 and the longest queue since May 2008. Prof Neil Mortensen, president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said a “huge, hidden waiting list” was building up under lockdown. He said figures “show the calamitous impact of Covid-19 on wait times for operations.
“For thousands of people in this country, a corrective operation is the best way to relieve debilitating pain and get them back up on their feet, back to work and enjoying life again. When we eventually emerge from this crisis, we will need sustained investment to treat all those who have been waiting patiently for treatment.”
Some 1.42 million patients on the list had been waiting for longer than the target of 18 weeks from referral to treatment.
Almost 223,000 were admitted for routine hospital treatment in November, down 27 per cent from 303,000 in the same month a year previously.
Dr Nick Scriven, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “This data shows exactly how dire things are with millions of people waiting to start hospital treatment and 330,000 people waiting more than six weeks for key diagnostic tests.
“The effects of Covid-19 will been seen for years to come and the impact on many individuals could be irreparable.”
Tracey Loftis, head of policy and public affairs at the Versus Arthritis charity, said it would take a huge amount of time and effort to restore elective surgery to usual levels: “The UK is in a public health emergency and it is paramount that we support the NHS in dealing with coronavirus as quickly as possible.”
She added: “Delays to planned treatment can lead to serious physical and mental health implications, especially for those with arthritis who have debilitating pain or limited mobility.
“Whilst it is understandable that operations are cancelled at this time, thousands of people are having to endure longer periods of pain.” The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) said data also showed that last month a record 3,745 patients waited more than 12 hours at A&E before admission. That was up 75 per cent on November and 60 per cent more than December 2019.
RCEM president Dr Katherine Henderson said: “We are no longer in a crisis; this is a national emergency. Patients should never have to wait for 12 hours or more to be admitted, but there are just not enough beds to admit patients to. I cannot emphasise the gravity of this emergency.”
NHS England said that, despite the huge pressures, the average time that patients spent on treatment waiting lists had fallen from 11.1 weeks in October to 10.3 weeks in the following month.
Its national medical director Prof Stephen Powis said: “Despite there being almost 23,000 people with Covid in England’s hospitals at the end of December – 20 per cent higher than the April peak – 50 per cent more people still came forward for urgent care in our A&Es.
“Twice as many elective treatments were delivered and around three times as many diagnostic checks were carried out, showing that essential non-Covid care was maintained even as the virus began to get out of control.”
However, Prof Powis said the figures were a stark reminder that the NHS was facing “an exceptionally tough challenge. There is no doubt that services will continue to be under additional pressure until and unless this virus is under control, which is why it’s so important that everyone practises social distancing and follows guidance.”
The NHS Blood and Transplant service (NHSBT) said it was striving to ensure as many organ transplants as possible can go ahead despite the coronavirus pressures.
Some 13 of 68 facilities where organ transplants are usually carried out are fully closed, while a small number of others are either shut for up to 14 days, open to selected patients or partially closed.
The facilities affected include Guy’s Hospital, the West London Renal & Transplant Centre and the capital’s Royal Free Hospital, as well as Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and Belfast City Hospital.
Prof John Forsythe, medical director of organ donation and transplantation for NHSBT, said: “We have learnt a lot from the first and second waves of the virus and transplants continue to be a priority across the NHS, with safety remaining paramount.”
