A DECADE of underinvestment in the NHS has “led to dire consequences,” nurses warned today as figures show that waiting lists in England have climbed to a new record high of 7.6 million.
Data published by NHS England revealed the number of people waiting to start treatment at the end of June was up from 7.5 million in May – the highest since records began in 2007.
RCN chief nursing officer Nicola Ranger said: “With a record number of patients now on a waiting list in England, the NHS is falling into deeper crisis.
“A decade of underinvestment in the NHS has led to dire consequences for patients and pushed many nursing staff out of the profession they love and with unrelenting pressure on those who remain.”
With junior doctors set to stage their fifth strike in their eight-month pay dispute on Friday, Labour criticised the Prime Minister while the Royal College of Nurses (RCN) said that the NHS is “falling into deeper crisis.”
Shadow mental health minister Dr Rosena Allin-Khan said: “One in eight people are now waiting for NHS treatment, more than ever before.
“Rishi Sunak has no plan to turn this around, he only offers excuses.
“He blames hard-working doctors and nurses, yet he hasn’t lifted a finger to stop the strikes.”
The government and NHS England vowed to eliminate all waits of more than 18 months by April 2023 – excluding exceptionally complex cases or patients who choose to wait longer.
But the figures showed the monthly total number of people waiting more than 52 weeks to start routine hospital treatment at the end of June stood at 383,083, with some 7,177 patients estimated to have been waiting more than 18 months.
Mr Sunak has made cutting waiting lists one of his priorities for 2023 while blaming strikes across the health service for making the task “more challenging.”
Industrial action has been ongoing since December 2022 in the NHS, leading to the postponement of almost 835,000 appointments.
But he ruled out talks on pay claiming the government’s proposed deal for a 6 per cent pay rise for junior doctors and consultants is “fair” and in line with pay review body recommendations.
The Department of Health and Social Care said: “We are making progress to deliver on our priority to cut waiting lists and ensure people get the care they need quicker.”
