A record 7.07 million people in England were waiting to start treatment in September, according to the newest figures released Thursday by the National Health Service (NHS)
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th November, 2022) A record 7.07 million people in England were waiting to start treatment in September, according to the newest figures released Thursday by the National Health Service (NHS).
The number of referral-to-treatment (RTI) patients waiting for treatment is the highest since record-keeping began in 2007. It speaks to a significant backlog of care in England that owes to pandemic pressures on NHS as well as chronic staff shortages.
"The number of RTT patients waiting to start treatment at the end of September 2022 was 7.07 million patients. Of those, 401,537 patients were waiting more than 52 weeks and 2,239 patients were waiting more than 104 weeks," the statistical press notice read.
At the end of September 2022, 2.87 million patients were on a waiting list for treatment for over 18 weeks. A median waiting time for treatment was 14 weeks, which is significantly higher than before the pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, a total 4.43 million people were waiting to start treatment.
The British Medical Association, which represents doctors and medical students in the UK, said the backlog was "storing up greater problems for the future" and was likely to result in worsened conditions down the line.
