The hospital treatment backlog continues to grow, with nearly one in every eight people in England now waiting for operations or other types of care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to new NHS England data, there were 6.84 million people on the waiting list at the end of July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is a massive number; prior to the pandemic, there were 4.2 million people on the waiting list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emergency care has improved slightly, with ambulance and A&E wait times decreasing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, both services are still a long way from meeting their targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In August, nearly one in every ten people waited longer than four hours in A&E, while ambulance crews continued to struggle to respond to 999 calls within their target times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The latest stats highlight the magnitude of the task that new Prime Minister Liz Truss and her health secretary Therese Coffey face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ms Truss has promised to put the NHS on “firm ground,” and the government is expected to unveil a health-care plan next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It will cover England only as health is devolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than 22,000 people had been waiting for more than two years at the start of the year, with another 50,000 close to that figure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prof Sir Stephen Powis, medical director of NHS England, stated that it demonstrated “significant progress.”<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The hospital treatment backlog continues to grow, with nearly one in every eight people in England now waiting for operations or other types of care. According to new NHS England … <\/p>\n