Hospital backlog drops to lowest level in two years
Summary
The number of people waiting for routine hospital treatments in England has decreased to its lowest level in two years, now at 7.39 million. Despite this progress, only about 60% of patients are seen within 18 weeks, missing the NHS target of 92%. The government is increasing NHS funding and implementing reforms to improve these figures.Key Facts
- As of April, the waiting list for routine treatments dropped to 7.39 million, down from 7.42 million in March.
- The NHS has not met its 92% target for seeing patients within 18 weeks for nine years; currently, it is just under 60%.
- The government plans to increase the NHS budget by 3% annually over the next three years.
- September 2023 saw the peak waiting list at nearly 7.8 million.
- NHS England staff are credited for the recent progress in reducing the backlog.
- There are ongoing issues with long waits in emergency departments due to a lack of social care support.
- Patients who are ready to leave the hospital often cannot due to insufficient community or care home support, affecting hospital capacity.
- The government aims to address these issues with future reforms and budget increases in the NHS.
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