NHS waiting list in England continues to break record going into winter

Surgeons are warning again, in the run up to winter, that patients left to wait months and months for treatment may see their health deteriorate further, as a result of NHS waiting lists rising again.

NHS performance data published today (12 October) shows the waiting list for NHS consultant-led hospital treatment continues to break records. There were 7.74 million people on the waiting list at the end of August 2023. Patients will be waiting for treatment ranging from hip replacements to surgery to remove cancerous tumours.

Professor Peter Friend, Vice President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said:

“Increased demand, record staff vacancies and industrial action all continue to hold back recovery efforts.  Whilst NHS staff continue to work hard to reduce waiting lists, this is happening in extremely challenging circumstances – and that is before winter pressures hit. 

“The government’s recent financial boost to help the health service this winter is very much welcome.  However, the Prime Minister’s key pledge of reducing the size of the waiting list by March 2024 is looking more and more in doubt.

“The government must continue to fund surgical hubs in areas that are struggling to bring down long waits for operations.  These are physically separated from emergency services in hospitals and allow scheduled tests and planned operations to proceed, unaffected by increased pressure in other parts of the hospital. There has been good progress in implementing these, but we’d like to see a surgical hub in every area of the country, prioritising those facing the longest waiting lists.

Commenting on plans to cut waiting lists announced by the Labour Party over the weekend, Professor Friend added:

“Labour’s intention to invest £1.1 billion to provide NHS staff overtime to work evening and weekend shifts, and thereby reduce waiting lists, will be welcome news to both patients and hospital leaders.  However, this must not be simply by asking an already burnt-out workforce, with record vacancies, to do more work. We cannot get away from the fact that the NHS needs to invest in staff, operating theatres and surgical beds, in order to optimise our productivity so that we can begin to make a dent in waiting times.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. NHS performance statistics on referral to treatment waiting times published today are available here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2023-24/
2. Further information on winter funding from the Department of Health and Social Care: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/200-million-to-boost-nhs-resilience-and-care-this-winter
3. 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.
4. 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.