Hospital backlog drops to lowest level in two years in England
The backlog in routine hospital treatments in England has reached its lowest level for two years.Data for the end of April showed the waiting list dropped to 7.39 million, down from 7.42 million in March.But it is nine years since the NHS has met its target of 92% of patients being seen in 18 weeks – currently it is just below 60%. The government has made meeting the target one of its key missions for this parliament – and on Wednesday announced above-inflation rises for the NHS in the coming years to help achieve it.Responding to the latest figures, Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting, said: "We are putting the NHS on the road to recovery."
And he added this was "just the start" as the extra investment announced in the spending review, which will see the NHS budget rise by 3% a year in the next three years, combined with reforms that will be announced in the 10-year plan due next month, would help build on what has been achieved.The drop in the numbers on the waiting list, which covers people waiting for routine treatments like hip and knee operations, came after March saw a rise in numbers – the first time in six months the waiting list had gone up.Although a little bit of fluctuation from month to month is normally seen, the government said it was clear the numbers waiting were on a downward trend.The peak occurred in September 2023, when the waiting list climbed to nearly 7.8 million.
'Short-term wins'
Meghana Pandit, of NHS England, said the progress being made was "thanks to NHS staff"."We are determined to continue on this trajectory for patients as staff work to turn the tide for patients waiting for care, and while huge pressure on services remains, we are starting to see a real difference across our services."Key targets for cancer care and A&E continue to be made, although there are signs of progress, the government said. The health services in the rest of the UK nations are also missing their key targets.Dr Tim Cooksley, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said significant problems still remained in England, pointing out that the number of 12-hour waits in emergency departments went up last month compared with the previous year.He said a major problem facing hospitals was the lack of social care available in the community.This causes delayed discharges where patients fit to leave hospital cannot go, because they need support to return home or to a care home. That in turn slows the ability of hospitals to see new patients coming in via A&E, or for routine treatments.He said: "Social care remains unaddressed - and will do for the foreseeable future after the spending review announcement - so patients will continue to wait extended periods of time and often in corridors."The issue remains that, for all the rhetoric of investment, plans and solutions, the government is too focused on short-term quick wins which will fail to deliver effective and lasting change."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
NHS pays tribute to 'dedicated' doctor and family who died in plane crash
Dr Prateek Joshi was flying back to the UK with his wife Komi Vyas and their three children on the doomed Air India plane after they planned to settle down in the East Midlands In an emotional tribute University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) and the NHS have shared their "deep sadness" following the tragic death of Dr Prateek Joshi and his family in the Air India plane crash this week. There were among the 242 passengers and crew on board, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 Brits, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian. Harrowing stories of the dead continued to emerge on Friday - including more tributes for Dr Joshi and his family who posted a selfie of them innocently smiling after boarding the Boeing 787 plane before it took off. Dr Joshi, 43, worked as a consultant radiologist at the Royal Derby Hospital and Queen's Hospital Burton for four years, after moving to Derby from India in 2021. He was flying back to the UK with his wife Komi Vyas – a fellow doctor - their daughter Miraya, eight, and twin sons, Pradyut and Nakul, five, who planned to settle down in the East Midlands. The NHS has released a new tribute to the doctor and his family on Friday. Dr Rajeev Singh, Consultant Radiologist and Clinical Director for Imaging at UHDB, who knew the family well has shared some words which truly capture the person Prateek was. Dr Singh said: "Prateek was full of joy, he was a wonderful man, friend, husband and father, and an exceptional Radiologist who was highly respected in his field. He approached everything with a smile, radiated positivity and had a great sense of humour. "He moved to Derby, from India, in 2021, quickly becoming a beloved colleague. He often entertained colleagues with stories about his passions outside of work, including his newly discovered love of fish and chips and enthusiasm for walking in the Peak District. "He touched the lives of so many people, both through his clinical work and as a colleague and friend to many. "It is hard to accept that a man with such a passion for life, and his beautiful young family, have been taken in this way. His passing has left a profound void, not only in his professional contributions but in the warmth and spirit that he gave to the world every day." Royal Derby Hospital described Dr Joshi as 'not only an excellent doctor for whom nothing was too much trouble, but also a warm, smiling and kind man who was a hugely liked and valued member of the team'. Stephen Posey, Chief Executive, added: "We are profoundly and deeply saddened at the loss of our dedicated and talented colleague, Dr Prateek Joshi and his family. Prateek was not only an excellent doctor for whom nothing was too much trouble, but also a warm, smiling and kind man who was a hugely liked and valued member of the team. "We are privileged that Prateek chose to give his skills, talent and knowledge to the NHS, and he will be sorely missed by everyone who had the pleasure of working with him." The NHS statement concluded: "Our thoughts are with Dr Joshi's family, friends and colleagues, and everyone who has been impacted by this tragedy, which is being felt across the world and within our local communities."
Powys County Times
2 hours ago
- Powys County Times
One in 10 parents say children ask to miss school over concerns about toilets
More than one in 10 parents said their children have asked to miss school because of concerns about school toilets, a survey has suggested. A poll of 2,000 parents of school-aged children in the UK suggests around one in six (17%) parents rated the toilets at their child's school as unclean. Nearly a third (31%) of families said they have raised concerns about the toilets with school staff, according to a survey for charity Parentkind. One parent told the charity that the toilets were so dirty that their children 'felt like they were stepping into a horror movie', while another parent said their child had seen cockroaches in the school toilets. The Censuswide poll suggests that 11% of parents said their child had missed school, or asked to stay at home, because of worries about the toilets at school. The charity is calling on the Government to prioritise funds to improve 'disgusting' school toilets as part of plans to improve the school estate. It comes after the Chancellor announced around £2.3 billion per year for fixing 'crumbling classrooms' and £2.4 billion per year to rebuild 500 schools. Some surveyed parents suggested their children had wet themselves at school, or suffered constipation, because of avoiding the toilets at their school. Jason Elsom, chief executive of Parentkind, called for Government funds set out in the spending review to be used to make school toilets 'fit for use'. He said: 'With a million children facing humiliation because of the disgusting state of school toilets, we need to shine a light on the health and well-being of our children who are refusing to drink during the day to avoid going to the toilet and the millions of children suffering constipation because their school toilets are so dirty. 'Parents tell us that we need to set aside the cash to clean and upgrade school loos. 'Parents tell us their children have seen 'cockroaches coming out of the floors' and toilets 'covered in poo and urine'.' Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: 'Schools understand the vital importance of toilets being clean and in good order, work hard to ensure this is the case, and will be dismayed at the findings of this research. 'Many schools are struggling with old and outdated buildings which require a great deal of maintenance because of years of government underfunding, and this may play a role in the perceptions reflected by respondents. 'We urgently need improved investment in upgrading and modernising school buildings.' A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'We're investing in excellence everywhere for every child, which is why this government is dedicated to fixing the foundations by rebuilding crumbling school buildings. 'Despite inheriting a schools estate in disrepair, the government is creating safe learning environments through condition funding and ramping up the School Rebuilding Programme to give children growing up in our country the best start in life. 'We have increased overall capital budgets by over a billion pounds a year on average, the highest since 2010 – showing this government's strong and unwavering commitment to the maintenance and renewal of the education estate.'
Powys County Times
2 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Health leader condemns ‘black service, not NHS service' received by mother
A health leader has condemned racial inequalities in the health service, saying that his mother received a 'black service, not an NHS service' as she died. Lord Victor Adebowale, chairman of the NHS Confederation, described the death of his 92-year-old mother as 'undignified'. His mother Grace, who worked as an NHS nurse for 45 years, died in January of suspected lung cancer. But her cancer was not detected until after she died. Her case highlights systemic racial disparities in healthcare, Lord Adebowale said. 'I just think there are too many situations where people that look like me and shades of me don't get the service,' he said. In an emotional speech, Lord Adebowale told the NHS ConfedExpo conference in Manchester: 'It was not the dignified death that we would have wanted for her. It wasn't the death she deserved. 'So it makes me clear about the need to address the inequity. I think she got a black service, not an NHS service. 'So I have to address the inequity that still exists within the NHS, in terms of the experiences that people who look like me continue to receive. 'It just hasn't got any better.' He went on: 'It is not acceptable that someone who looks like me, on average waits 20 minutes longer in A&E than white patients. 'To achieve an inclusive, equitable NHS we need an inclusive equitable culture from top to bottom.' Mrs Adebowale emigrated from Nigeria to Scotland in the 1950s. Lord Adebowale, who grew up in Wakefield, said that he did not want to blame anyone, but he said that he wanted to highlight a 'systematic problem'. 'She lived to the age of 92 and you may think, 'well, she had the good old innings', but for a lot of those years she was in some discomfort, and it looks like she died from cancer,' he told reporters. 'It's still the case that if you look like me, you're more likely to discover that you've got cancer in A&E, and that that for me is it's an example of two different services. 'I used the phrase 'black service'… you only have to look at the stats – across all the major disease categories that we talk about, black people have a worse experience and worse outcomes – we've known that for years, I'm not saying anything new. 'My mother is an episodic example of a systematic problem. 'We've got a cancer programme, we've got a cancer we've had targets for diagnostics, and pathways, and yet, people like my mother…' Lord Adebowale, who established the NHS Race and Health Observatory in 2021 to try and tackle inequalities experienced by black and minority ethnic patients in healthcare, went on: 'I just think there are too many, too many situations where people that look like me and shades of me don't get the service. 'What I'm talking about is a systemic problem exampled by what I have experienced a my mum, and I think she represents a lot of other mums out there and lots of other people out there.' Asked about his comments about a 'black service', Lord Adebowale went on: 'Why did I (say) it? Because I'm sick of it not changing like everyone else, and I'm close enough to it to know that it happens. 'I could have stood there and give you a load of stats, and you wouldn't be talking to me. 'And my mum, I think, God bless her, I think she would have wanted me to say it.' He added: 'The disproportionate poor services that too many poor people and too many black people experience, that's what I'm sick of.' He said there was nothing in his mother's medical records to suggest she had cancer, adding: 'She went to A&E in a poor condition. 'My sister described a hospital that was really struggling when she went in, she had to argue for mum to get a room. 'It was a very busy day. There had to be a negotiation to find a space, which you shouldn't have to do, but that's what happens when people are under pressure.' He added: 'We haven't got to the bottom of it, and that's why I'm not blaming anybody, and I don't want to, but I can talk about my experience and my observation of what happened to my mum. 'How does that happen? I know it does happen. People have chronic diseases and people don't know and they die of them – I know it's more likely to happen if you're black, it's also more likely to happen if you're poor. 'It's all part of the same story. I used to own story to illustrate a bigger problem, which is systemic.' On his mother, whose full name was Grace Amoke Owuren Adebowale and who worked in various nursing sectors including mental health, acute care and maternity, he said: 'If you a nurse it is what you are, it's what you're born to do.' Commenting on Lord Adebowale's remarks, Professor Habib Naqvi, chief executive of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, said: 'We extend our sincere condolences, thoughts and support to Lord Victor and the Adebowale family. 'The loss of a beloved family member is extremely difficult. We thank Victor for the candour in sharing his personal testimony. 'The NHS Race and Health Observatory continues to support healthcare organisations in implementing meaningful change for ethnic minority patients, communities, and members of the healthcare workforce.' Kate Seymour, from the charity Macmillan Cancer Support, said: 'Stories like Grace Amoke Owuren Adebowale's highlight the heartbreaking reality for some when it comes to accessing cancer care in this country. 'It is categorically unacceptable that some people with cancer are having worse experiences simply because of who they are or where they live.' An NHS spokesperson said: 'Everyone – no matter their background – should receive the best NHS care possible. 'That's why we are working across the NHS to ensure that happens – from improving access to cancer diagnosis and treatment, to expanding health checks for Black and Asian communities and increasing uptake of blood pressure and cholesterol medication in under-served groups. 'But we know there is much more to do, and tackling health inequalities will form an important part of the upcoming 10 Year Health Plan.'
