Summary
Nearly a quarter of hospitals in England have seen longer waiting times despite government plans to reduce them. Several factors like staff shortages, doctor strikes, and IT issues are affecting these hospitals. The government aims to improve waiting times, setting targets for the coming years.
Key Facts
- About 25% of hospitals in England have longer waiting times for treatments.
- The government set a target to treat 92% of patients within 18 weeks by March 2029.
- Progress has been made nationally, but 31 out of 129 hospital trusts have worsened.
- Key challenges include staffing issues, doctor strikes, and IT problems.
- The current national target is to have 65% of patients seen within 18 weeks by March 2026.
- Some hospitals like East Cheshire saw a significant drop in patients meeting the 18-week target.
- Differences in performance exist despite specific funding given to NHS trusts to improve.
- The waiting list has decreased to 7.31 million, the lowest since February 2023.
