NHS Confederation responds to the latest performance statistics for the NHS in England
Responding to the latest performance figures for the NHS in England, Rory Deighton, director of NHS Confederation's Acute Network said:
“Despite serious operational challenges, NHS leaders and their staff continue to pull out all the stops for patients.
“With this summer set to be the NHS’s busiest ever, delivering another record month for cancer checks, a near record number of people starting cancer treatment and a 16% increase to the number of tests carried out compared to pre-pandemic is no mean feat.
“Given the difficulties the NHS is facing it is unsurprising but regrettable that the overall elective waiting list has increased to 7.57m, with activity levels dropping lower than pre-pandemic levels.
“However, there was also a slight month on month drop in the number of people waiting more than a year, with the number of 78- and 104-week waiters the lowest it’s ever been, and 1.52m people came off the waiting list in June. This is positive news but imagine where the NHS could be now if industrial action hadn’t been allowed to rumble on.
“These figures should give further impetus to all sides to find a solution, and noises that more informal talks have restarted is a step in the right direction. A resolution ahead of winter would give the NHS the best possible chance of making up lost ground on the 830,000 appointments cancelled due to industrial action – which we know are just the tip of the iceberg – and speed up recovery efforts.”
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We are the membership organisation that brings together, supports and speaks for the whole healthcare system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The members we represent employ 1.5 million staff, care for more than 1 million patients a day and control £150 billion of public expenditure. We promote collaboration and partnership working as the key to improving population health, delivering high-quality care and reducing health inequalities.
