NHS bosses say the NHS is “on its knees” even before winter has begun, as figures for November show it is missing key waiting-time targets for A&E care, operations and cancer treatment.
The performance of the NHS in England in November was yet again its worst ever, prompting concern that it cannot keep up with a relentless rise in the number of people needing care.
Doctors’ leaders called for Boris Johnson’s government to take urgent action to boost staffing, hospital bed numbers and GP services.
The latest set of monthly performance figures (pdf) published by NHS England show that the number of people waiting for a non-urgent operation has risen to 4.45 million; numbers of people attending at A&E and the number being admitted as an emergency case were each at record highs; and hospitals managed to meet only three of the eight NHS-wide targets for cancer treatment.
Full story in The Guardian, 13 December 2019