NHS England nears target of eliminating two-year waiting lists

The latest hospital waiting list data shows a reduction in the number of people who have had their care delayed two years or more within England.

NHS England announced that there were 2777 people who had their care delayed two or more years at the beginning of August – compared to 22,500 at the beginning of the year, and a further 51,000 patients who would have crossed the two-year threshold by the end of July.

Of those remaining on the waiting list, 579 patients had opted to defer treatment and 1030 were very complex cases.

NHS chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, highlighted that the progress on waiting lists was possible because of work to reform the way care is delivered.

“The next phase will focus on patients waiting longer than 18 months, building on the fantastic work already done, and while it is a significant challenge our remarkable staff have shown that when we are given the tools and resources we need, the NHS delivers for our patients,” she said.

Deputy chief executive of the NHS Confederation, Danny Mortimer, shared that the announcement is an important milestone for the NHS.

“However, with the overall waiting list for elective care continuing to grow nationally, they know that this vital work has not finished,” he said.

OT has previously explored the impact of hospital waiting lists in Northern Ireland – revealing through Freedom of Information Act requests that in parts of the country the average waiting time for routine cataract surgery was over six years.