Another day, another NHS crisis, this new problem has been uncovered by the BBC.
The amount of people who are “long waiters,” those who have exceeded an 18-week target, has increased hugely.
There are now 350,000 people in this dire situation, which is a huge rise of 163% in just four years. Almost a tenth of people on the list have had to wait over the 18-week threshold before they receive their treatment.
The number of people waiting for operations fell under the Blair years and the early years of Cameron’s leadership, however it has increased in recent years.
The pressure on the NHS has rarely been out of the news, the Red Cross said the NHS was suffering a “humanitarian crisis” this winter.
There are 3.7 million people waiting for routine care, which is an increase in 44% since 2012.
Richard Murray, from the King’s Fund think tank, predicts the figure will hit four million within the next few months. He said: “If you go back 15 years waiting lists were longer, but it is now heading in the wrong direction.”
Royal College of Surgeons president Clare Marx is very concerned about impact on patients health while they wait for their operations, and how they can deteriorate every extra day they have to wait for medical attention.
She said: “Someone waiting for a gall-stone removal will be in a lot of pain and discomfort.
“The longer you wait for a hip or knee replacement the less likely you are to have good outcomes. These waits really matter.
“The standards of care are being eroded and we don’t want it to get worse.”
The NHS is close to collapse, during last week’s PMQs, Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn said he was concerned that Theresa May might sell-off parts of the NHS to US businesses.
She told the house that the NHS is not for sale, but many people are nervous the UK’s public health service could be used as a bargaining chip, to seal a beneficial business deal, with Donald Trump.
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