NHS backlog hits record high

Warning bells over the dire impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on NHS services are ringing again after it emerged that the number of people in England waiting for routine operations and procedures hit a new record.

According to the latest round of NHS performance data, 4.7 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of February, marking the highest number since records began back in 2007, while the number of people waiting more than 52 weeks to start treatment hit just shy of 388,000.

The data also showed that 152,642 people were admitted for routine hospital treatment in February this year compared to 285,918 a year ago (though this did include an extra day because of the leap year), equating to a stark drop of 47%.
“We cannot ignore the scale of the challenge still facing the health service. There is still a major backlog in terms of diagnostic and elective activity as a result of COVID-19, and our own analysis suggests there may be far more below the surface,” said Danny Mortimer, chief executive of the NHS Confederation.

“Health leaders are clear that the NHS will be recovering for years to come, and this must be appropriately resourced in the long term. There must also be investment in growing and maintaining the workforce, alongside continued funding to deal with COVID pressures, as we must all be alive to the possibility of a resurgence as the national lockdown restrictions continue to ease.”

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) said its own analysis of the data shows that one in four people are now waiting over four months for their heart operations or other heart procedures, with almost 204,000 still on waiting lists at the end of February this year.

Available NHS data reveals a 50% rise in people waiting 18 weeks or longer for a heart operation or heart procedure, with 48,390 waiting in February 2021 compared to 32,186 before the pandemic, the charity said. Also, more than 5,000 people had waited more than a year for a heart surgery or other procedure, compared with just 28 people in the same month the previous year – 180 times more.

The figures, it says, highlight the continued disruption to potentially life-saving treatment for heart patients caused by the pandemic. According to the BHF, there were over 5,500 excess deaths from heart diseases and stroke in England in the first year of the pandemic, with delays to care likely to have played a role in this.

“The longer people wait for routine heart care and treatment, the higher the risk that they could become more unwell, or even die,” said Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, the charity’s associate medical director and consultant cardiologist. “Sadly, what we now know is that these significant delays are already likely having tragic consequences, given there have been extra deaths from heart and circulatory diseases not related to COVID-19. It will take many months and even years for the true toll of the pandemic to become clear.”

She also noted that the backlog of cardiovascular care is growing despite the drop in COVID-19 cases, and that this urgently needs to be addressed with “a clear plan to support the exhausted NHS, and a commitment now to substantial and ongoing investment for the health service.”

“The health service remains in an incredibly precarious state,” noted Dr David Wrigley, BMA council deputy chair, commenting on the NHS performance data. “Behind each of these shocking figures are people – people facing months of pain and anguish as they wait for vital treatment.

“As restrictions begin to ease, it is crucial that everyone does their part in preventing the spread of what is still an incredibly dangerous virus, and continues to practice physical distancing, wearing masks when required and following public health guidance. The NHS, its staff and patients – already stretched to the limit – cannot afford to be overwhelmed by a new surge in infections.”