NHS waiting lists are getting longer and the government’s targets are still not being met. New NHS data released today has found that the number of patients on NHS waiting lists has hit a new all-time high of 7.3 million. The government has also failed to meet its target to eliminate 18-month waits by April this year. Although Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that the government is delivering on his promise to cut waiting lists, it’s clear the Tories have quite a way to go yet.
The number of patients waiting longer than 18 months for hospital appointments and procedures has certainly fallen, decreasing from 54,882 in January to 10,737 by April, and by over 90 per cent since September 2021. But just under 80 per cent of NHS providers are yet to eliminate wait times of 18 months completely. And, astonishingly, over half of all patients still waiting for appointments are confined to ten NHS trust areas.
That 95 per cent of patients presenting to A&E should be seen within four hours is a target set out in the NHS Constitution Handbook. Yet today’s data shows that the reality is markedly different: only 75 per cent of patients who turn up to A&E will be seen within this time.
There’s a dearth of good news to be found within the latest data publication, but on a more positive note there has been an improvement in ambulance response times, which peaked at 92.9 minutes in December, falling to 39.6 minutes in March and are now at 28.5 minutes for a category 2 call. Pre-pandemic, the average wait for an ambulance in April 2018 was 20.2 minutes.
Despite failing to meet his government target, Sunak has hailed the fall in 18-month wait times as 'huge progress' and 'testament to the hard work of NHS staff'. Health secretary Steve Barclay echoed that sentiment, saying that today's data 'shows we're delivering on our Elective Recovery Plan despite NHS strikes and the challenging winter'. But both Sunak and NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard exercised some restraint in their celebratory statements, noting that there remains 'much work to be done' if the NHS is to provide for its people in the way it is supposed to.
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