HOSPITAL WAITING LISTS TO EXCEED 7.7M BY DECEMBER 2024 If strikes continue, that number is expected to grow
The Health Foundation have released new figures for NHS Waiting Lists.
The NHS waiting list for elective treatment in England has been growing since 2013 – almost tripling in size over the decade to 7.7 million. The waiting list had already reached 4.6 million before the pandemic. During the pandemic, the waiting list grew sharply, as care was suspended.
Since then New referrals and completed pathways per working day continue to follow the existing trends at a growth rate of 5.0% and 7.8% per year per working day respectively.
They estimate that so far strikes by consultants and junior doctors have increased the waiting list by around 210,000.
Assuming there is no further strike action beyond the joint strikes in October 2023 and with no further strike action, the waiting list is expected to peak at just under 8 million in August 2024.
The waiting list would then fall but is still projected to exceed 7.7 million by December 2024. However, if strikes continue into 2024 the waiting list is expected to exceed 8.4 million by the end of 2024