Thousands of patients still waiting for treatment at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust

The Society for Acute Medicine said the current picture across the NHS in England – where 6.5 million people are waiting to start treatment – is “unacceptable and unsustainable” for patients and staff.

NHS England figures show 40,476 patients were waiting for non-urgent elective operations or treatment at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust at the end of April – up slightly from 40,254 in March, and 33,585 in April 2021.

Of those, 983 (two per cent) had been waiting for longer than a year.

The average waiting time from referral at an NHS Trust to treatment at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust was 10 weeks at the end of April – up from nine weeks in March. Nationally, 6.5 million people were waiting to start treatment.

At Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust, 11,397 patients were waiting for one of 12 standard tests, such as an MRI scan, non-obstetric ultrasound or gastroscopy at this time. Of them, 1,784 (16 per cent) had been waiting for at least six weeks.

Other figures show cancer patients at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust are not being seen quickly enough.

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

But data shows just 74 per cent of those referred by the NHS in April began treatment within two months of their referral. That was up from 73 per cent in March.

Dr Tim Cooksley, president of the SAM, said the healthcare workforce and its capacity were the key issues facing the NHS, but that the latest figures show there is no easy solution.

He added: “The current experience for patients with long waits for both emergency and elective care is intolerable and this is causing significant morale injury to clinical and operational staff in NHS and social care who wish to provide high quality care for patients.

“The current situation is unacceptable and unsustainable for patients and staff. It is essential that the Government urgently commits itself to the long-term solutions.”

Some 12,735 people were waiting more than two years for hospital treatment at the end of April.