The number of people in England waiting to start routine hospital treatment has risen to a new record high, it was revealed on Thursday, as hospital bosses were putting in place plans to “minimise harm” to patients during the nursing strikes.
A total of 7.1 million people were waiting for routine hospital treatment at the end of September – the highest figure since records began in August 2007.
In London, 998,127 people were waiting for routine hospital treatment at the end of September, according to the figures. It marks a rise of 1,573 on the previous month and comprises around 14 per cent of England's overall waiting list.
Meanwhile, a total of 401,537 people in England had been waiting more than 52 weeks to start hospital treatment at the end of September, NHS England said.
This is up from 387,257 at the end of August, and is the equivalent of around one in 18 people on the entire waiting list.
Separate figures showed that the number of people waiting more than 12 hours in A&E from a decision to admit them to actually being admitted hit a record 43,792 people in October. This is up from 32,776 in September and is the highest number in records going back to August 2010.
A total of 69.3 per cent of patients in England were seen within four hours at A&Es in October, the worst performance on record, set against a target of 95 per cent. (These can replace pars 6-7)
Elsewhere, a total of 998,127 people were waiting for routine hospital treatment at the end of September in London. It marks a rise of 1,573 on the previous month and comprises around 14 per cent of England's overall waiting list.
The number of people in London waiting more than 52 weeks for treatment at the end of September as up by 860 on the previous month, but the number waiting more than 78 weeks fell by over 200.
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The figures come just a day after The Royal College of Nursing announced strike action across nine London hospitals in a dispute over pay, raising fears of further disruption to operations and appointments. Emergency care will not be impacted, the union has said, but it is likely to impact thousands of operations.
The strikes will impact some of London’s largest NHS trusts, including Guys and St Thomas, Great Ormond Street Hospital, the Royal Marsden and Kings College Hospital. Some of the most serious cancer cases could still be treated, while urgent diagnostic procedures and assessments will be staffed if they are needed to gather data on potentially life-threatening conditions or those that could lead to permanent disability.
Patricia Marquis, RCN director for England, told BBC Breakfast that the Government had “failed to listen” to the concerns of nursing staff struggling with the cost of living crisis. The union has demanded a pay rise of 5 per cent above inflation, claiming that the Government’s offer of £1,400 is insufficient to cope with a surge in energy bills and rent hikes.
But Health Secretary Steve Barclay yesterday claimed the RCN’s demands “aren’t reasonable or affordable”, adding: “Regrettably, this action will mean some patients will have their treatment delayed.”