More than 7.6 million people in the United Kingdom – around 12 percent of the total population – are waiting to receive routine hospital treatment from the country’s socialized healthcare system, the National Health Service (NHS), representing the highest figure since records began in 2007 and increasing by another 100,000 since May.
Just under 400,000 people have been on the NHS waiting list for more than a year, around 7,000 people have been waiting for treatment for over 18 months, and more than 20,000 have waited longer than two months (62 days) for urgent cancer screenings, according to data released by NHS England.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunk made cutting the NHS backlog a core priority of his government at the beginning of the year, announcing “lists will fall and people will get the care they need more quickly,” but this has so far failed to materialize. The NHS has even considered an AI rollout to help shorten the backlog.
The waiting list looks set to grow as thousands of the NHS’ junior doctors and nurses will continue to strike. Junior doctors working for the British Medical Association (BMA) will begin another set to strike on Friday, August 11, until August 15.
The “latest figures paint a grim picture… For the sake of patients, it is imperative that all parties get around the table to resolve this issue,” stated Siva Anandaciva, chief analyst at health think tank The King’s Fund.
