The NHS is frequently in the news, particularly regarding the increasing waiting times for emergency ambulances, GP appointments, and non-urgent surgeries, which are among the most common complaints about the National Health Service. Waiting lists have reached an all-time high, with 7.5 million people in England awaiting hospital treatment. Despite a maximum waiting time target of 18 weeks, the NHS has not met this since 2016, and over 3 million people have been waiting longer than 18 weeks.
Hospital treatment waiting lists were stable until 2012 but then began to rise, reaching nearly 5 million by 2020. The pandemic caused a slight drop initially, but lists have surged to 7.5 million by 2023. A&E waiting times have also worsened; while fewer than 10% of patients waited more than four hours until 2015, this figure rose to around 30% by 2020 and hit a record 50.4% in December 2022. The number of patients waiting for hospital beds after a decision to admit has significantly increased, exceeding 50,000 in recent years.
Cancer treatment targets, which aim for 85% of patients to begin treatment within 62 days of an urgent GP referral, have not been met since 2014. By January 2023, only 55% of patients were treated within this timeframe. Ambulance response times have also fallen short, with the average response time for category 2 calls (e.g., strokes, heart attacks) reaching one hour and thirty minutes in December 2022. Although there have been improvements, they remain below the target.
Mental health services are similarly strained. Nearly a quarter of patients wait over 12 weeks for treatment, with 43% reporting worsening mental health due to these delays. Additionally, 78% had to resort to emergency services while waiting, and 12% waited more than six months, with some waiting over a year.
The primary reasons for these long waiting lists are the imbalance between demand and the NHS’s capacity, exacerbated by chronic underfunding and staff shortages. The pandemic further aggravated the situation by creating a significant backlog of patients who delayed seeking treatment or had their procedures cancelled.
To address these issues, the government updated its mandate to NHS England in March 2024, prioritising the reduction of waiting lists and performance recovery. Plans include tackling the elective care backlog, improving cancer outcomes, enhancing A&E and ambulance performance, increasing capacity with more beds and ambulances, and expanding community services. The government also aims to improve GP access, ensuring patients can get appointments within two weeks and implementing digital tools to support this goal.
Labour, positioning itself as a potential future government, has also outlined plans to address NHS waiting times. Their mission includes a child health action plan, creating extra operations and appointments, a dentistry rescue plan, establishing Neighbourhood Health Centres, leveraging technology for early diagnosis, and better public health measures. Labour also plans to recruit additional mental health staff and ensure young people have access to mental health support at school.
The NHS has long struggled with waiting times, but the pandemic has magnified these issues, leading to unprecedented delays. As the UK approaches an election, both Labour and the Conservatives are proposing solutions to reduce waiting times, leaving it to the public to decide which party they believe can best address these pressing concerns.
One Health Group PLC (AQSE:OHGR) are a team of Consultant Surgeons and Healthcare managers working with the NHS to provide faster, local and expert care in Orthopaedics, Spinal, General Surgery and Gynaecology.
