Responding to the latest data showing the NHS England waiting list sitting at 7.60m, Royal College of Nursing Director for England, Patricia Marquis, said:
“Patients are suffering because the Prime Minister has failed to make real progress on his waiting list pledge. At this rate, it's a safe bet that millions will still be waiting for care when the election is called.
“With average waiting times the highest they’ve ever been - excluding a brief period at the start of the pandemic - it’s clear patients are being severely let down.
“Instead of fudging the figures, making false claims that strikes are to blame, and playing political games, the Prime Minister should be focused on patients. This includes paying nursing staff fairly. Only then will we be able to recruit and retain the nursing staff needed to provide the care patients deserve, and finally get waiting lists down.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
An estimated 7,603,675 treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of December in the NHS in England, relating to 6,366,070 patients.
Average waiting times for December 2023 stood at 15.0 weeks, a rise from 14.4 weeks in November 2023. This is the highest it's ever been if three months near the start of the pandemic (May to Jul 2020) are excluded.
