NHS waiting times for routine hospital treatment hits another new record high

The number of people in England waiting to start routine hospital treatment has risen to a record high. 7.1 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of September, according to new figures from NHS England. This is up from 7 million in August, and is the highest number since records begain in August 2007. A staggering 401,537 people have been waiting for more than 52 weeks to start their treatment, according to England’s September figures. This is up from 387, 257 at the end of August. The government and NHS England have set the ambition of eliminating all waits of more than a year by March 2025. There has been a reduction in the number of patients waiting more than two years to start routine hospital treatment this summer.Some 2,239 people in England had been waiting over two years, September figures showed. This was down from 2,646 at the end of August, but it was down significantly from 23,778 in January 2022. More to follow…