NHS Confederation responds to the latest performance statistics and winter situation report
- The waiting list rose to an estimated 7.2 million at the end of December, a 15,033 increase from November. It had previously dropped to 7.19 (from 7.21 million) with a slight fall in November.
- There was more elective activity in December 2022, than the previous two Decembers. The statistics show 1.22 million people having admitted/non-admitted treatment, compared to 1.17 million in December 2021 and 1.06 million in December 2020.
- The number of patients now waiting 78 weeks has risen to 54,882- the highest it has been since May. It was 48,961 at the end of November.
- Total A&E attendances went down by 324,000 in January. There was a total of 1.96 million A&E attendances in January compared to 2.28 million in December 2022.
Responding to the performance figures for the NHS in England and the latest winter situation report, Rory Deighton, director of the NHS Confederation’s acute network said:
“In the midst of the worst week for industrial action seen so far, health leaders continue to worry what that means for the services they will be able to provide and their ability to keep up with the government targets. The overall elective care waiting list rose to 7.2 million in December and those waiting 78 weeks has risen to nearly 55,000. Already the strikes have led to nearly 140,000 procedures and appointments needing to be postponed so that the most essential ‘life and limb’ services could be maintained. The NHS is committed to making sure every single of these patients gets the care they need by 1 April but with 9 strike days confirmed before then, as well as the prospect of a 72-hour walk-out of junior doctors in March, confidence is beginning to wane.
“We are seeing continued signs that the winter pressures are reducing, with cases of flu and A&E admissions going down and thanks to the incredible work of frontline staff, ambulance response times, hospital handover delays and diagnostic waits are all improving. While demand remains high, this should be a time for the NHS to re-energise its focus on recovering the elective backlogs but there is no doubt that the ongoing dispute between the government and the trade unions make an already tall order, that bit more difficult.”
