Surgeons respond to NHS England publishing waiting list breakdowns to tackle health disparities
17 Jul 2025
Mr Tim Mitchell, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) said:
“It is now clear that more needs to be done to get working-age people off NHS waiting lists and back to work. For the communities that have the longest waiting lists, we hope that this detailed breakdown improves local planning and goes some way towards tailoring services better to the local community, particularly around access to surgical treatment.
“We know that long waits for surgery can be devastating, particularly for patients from more deprived communities who may already face poorer health outcomes. The inclusion of demographic data is a vital step towards understanding where disparities persist and ensuring the recovery of elective services is fair and inclusive.”
Notes to editors:
- The new data is published here.
- The Royal College of Surgeons of England provides world-class education, assessment, and development to 30,000 surgeons, dental professionals, and members of the wider surgical and dental care teams at all stages of their careers. Our vision is to see excellent surgical care for everyone. We do this by setting professional standards, facilitating research, and championing the best outcomes for patients.
- For more information, please contact the press office: telephone: 020 7869 6053/6054/6047; email: pressoffice@rcseng.ac.uk; out-of-hours media enquiries: 0207 869 6056.