The number of people waiting for hospital treatment with the NHS in England topped 7 million for the first time in August. There were other unwelcome records, with just 56.9% of patients attending major A&Es in September seen within four hours – a record low.
Just 72.9% of patients received their first treatment for cancer within two months after seeing a consultant, while one-month waits for radiotherapy also reached a new low at 90.5% of patients against a target of 94%. The service failed to meet seven out of eight of its stated cancer targets.
The number of patients waiting more than a year for treatment grew to 387,257 by the end of August, up from 377,689 the month before, equivalent to one in every 18 patients on the waiting list. Eighteen-month waits fell from the high of 123,969 in September 2021 but still affect 50,888.
Full story in The Guardian, 13 October 2022