98,240 patients were waiting for non-urgent elective operations or treatment at the main hospitals serving Barnet at the end of July reports Will Grimond, Data Reporter

Medical staff consulting a screen at the end of a hospital corridor — 1.6 million patients in England were waiting for a key diagnostic test in July – (Credit – Radar)

Almost 100,000 patients were waiting for routine treatment at the main NHS hospitals serving Barnet in July, figures show.

The shadow health secretary has branded the Prime Minister “inaction man” over rising waiting lists.

NHS England figures show 98,240 patients were waiting for non-urgent elective operations or treatment at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust at the end of July – up slightly from 97,508 in June, and 91,061 in July 2022.

Of those, 4,187 (4%) had been waiting for longer than a year.

The median waiting time from referral at an NHS Trust to treatment at the Royal Free London was 14 weeks at the end of July – the same as in June.

Nationally, 7.7 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of July.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said patients were waiting an “unacceptably long” time.

He added: “On the NHS, Rishi Sunak is Inaction Man, refusing to meet with doctors to end NHS strikes and adding to the Conservatives’ NHS backlog, leaving patients waiting for months on end in pain and agony.”

Separate figures show 1.6 million patients in England were waiting for a key diagnostic test in July – the same as in June.

At the Royal Free London, 17,348 patients were waiting for one of 14 standard tests, such as an MRI scan, non-obstetric ultrasound or gastroscopy at this time.

Of them, 1,529 (9%) had been waiting for at least six weeks.

Other figures show cancer patients at the Royal Free London are not being seen quickly enough.

The NHS states 85% of cancer patients urgently referred by a GP should start treatment within 62 days.

But NHS England data shows just 48% of patients urgently referred by the NHS who received cancer treatment at the Royal Free London in July began treatment within two months of their referral.

That was up from 43% in June, but down from 54% in July 2022.

Professor Pat Price, of the CatchUpWithCancer campaign, said the cancer figures show “we are still massively short in hitting the government’s target of no more than 85% of cancer patients waiting more than 62 days between urgent GP referral and their first treatment.”

“Today’s figures reveal that nearly 40% of cancer patients are missing their life-saving cancer treatment: this is over double the government’s own target,” she added.

The Prime Minister told the BBC on Thursday ongoing strikes by NHS staff were threatening his target of cutting waiting lists in 2023, acknowledging his promise could be missed.

Professor Julian Redhead, NHS England’s national clinical director for urgent and emergency care echoed Sunak’s comments on the impact of industrial action.

He said: “Today’s figures show that despite ongoing pressures across the NHS, including record demand for emergency care this summer, and an increase in Covid cases during July and August, NHS staff are continuing to deliver for patients.”

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else. £84 annual supporters get a print copy by post and a digital copy of each month's before anyone else.