Record patients wait year for Halton Hospital treatment

NHS rules state that patients referred for non-urgent, consultant-led elective care should start treatment within 18 weeks.

But NHS statistics show 1,442 patients listed for elective operations or treatment at Warrington and Halton hospitals at the end of February had been waiting for at least a year – 7 per cent of all those on the waiting list.

This was a huge increase from none the year before, and the highest figure for the month of February since comparable records began in 2012.

The number of people waiting this long across England has risen to 387,900 – the highest total since December 2007, and almost 250 times that of February 2020.

The Nuffield Trust said the record size of the NHS waiting list across England shows the health service has been set back years by the coronavirus pandemic and now faces a ‘major backlog’.

Sarah Scobie, deputy director of research at the organisation, said healthcare staff have made huge sacrifices during the pandemic, but more will be asked of them.

Warrington Hospital

“It is clear that the NHS has been set back years as it faces a battle to clear these major backlogs of postponed care,” she said.

“Returning to the levels of activity seen before March last year will not be enough to meet demand, and we will continue to live with coronavirus for years to come.”

Overall, 20,464 people were waiting to start hospital treatment at Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust at the end of February – an increase of 4 per cent on February 2020.

Across England, 4.7 million people were waiting for treatment at this time – the highest number since records began in mid-2007.

This was up from 4.6 million in January and means almost half a million patients have been added to the waiting list since the pandemic began in March 2020.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the Government will ensure the NHS has the funds it needs to tackle the build-up in waiting lists.