Three out of five patients waiting longer than NHS target time for treatment at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals

Three out of five patients are waiting too long for non-urgent treatment at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust, new figures show, as disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic continues.
Pinderfield HospitalPinderfield Hospital
Pinderfield Hospital

According to NHS rules, patients referred for non-urgent consultant-led elective care should start treatment within 18 weeks.

But NHS data shows 60% of patients on the waiting list for elective operations or other treatment at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust at the end of July had been waiting longer – up from 15% in the same month last year. It means 16,108 patients had been waiting longer than the target time.

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NHS trusts are normally expected to make sure no more than 8% of patients are left waiting beyond the 18-week maximum target.

But non-urgent elective operations – such as hip and knee replacements – were suspended during the height of lockdown to free up beds for coronavirus patients, leading to delayed care for many patients across England.

Professor Neil Mortensen, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said patients who have been waiting months for treatment “cannot afford to wait until next spring”.

“We urgently need to build up our hospital reserves if we are to see this winter through. Flu, together with continuing local Covid-19 outbreaks, must not bring surgery to a standstill again, or thousands more will suffer.”