all the key numbers from May

107,332 patients were waiting for treatment at the main hospital serving Barnet at the end of May, reports Will Grimond, Data Reporter

More than 100,000 patients were waiting for routine treatment at the Royal Free London in May, new figures show.

The figures come as Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the NHS was “broken”.

NHS England figures show that 107,332 patients were waiting for non-urgent surgery or elective treatment at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust at the end of May – up from 105,194 in April and 93,770 in May 2023.

Of these, 5,327 (5%) had been waiting for more than a year.

The average waiting time from referral to an NHS Trust to treatment at the Royal Free London was 15 weeks at the end of May – up from 14 weeks in April.

Nationally, 7.6 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of May. This is up slightly from 7.57 million at the end of March and the first time NHS waiting lists have risen in seven months.

“It is clear to anyone who works or uses the NHS that it is broken,” Mr Streeting said as he launched a new inquiry into conditions in the health service.

“Unlike the last government, we are not apologizing. I’m certainly not going to blame NHS staff who give their courage to patients.

“This government will be honest about the challenges we face and serious about solving them.”

Separate figures show 1.7 million patients in England were waiting for a key diagnostic test in May – up from 1.6 million in April.

At the Royal Free London, 21,509 patients were waiting for one of 14 standard tests such as an MRI scan, non-obstetric ultrasound or gastroscopy at this time.

Of these, 1,911 (9%) had been waiting for at least six weeks.

Other figures show that cancer patients at the Royal Free London are not being seen quickly enough.

The NHS states that 85% of cancer patients who have an urgent referral should start treatment within 62 days.

But NHS England data shows that only 52% of cancer patients referred to the Royal Free London as an emergency in May started treatment within two months of being referred.

This was up from 51% in April and 51% in May 2023.

Sarah Scobie, deputy director of research at the Nuffield Trust, said the NHS was facing an “enormous uphill battle”.

“Fixing it will mean addressing the structural vulnerabilities that have left the NHS in a weak position in the context of the pandemic,” she added.

She said this would include “under-investment in buildings and equipment and improving funding flows to services outside the hospital such as GPs and district health care”.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS National Medical Director, said: “Frontline teams continue to work exceptionally hard under significant pressure to give patients the best care they can, but everyone recognizes that access and times of expectation are currently far from what the public has. a right to wait.

“Despite the challenges, it’s vital that people come forward when they have health problems – huge work is being done to diagnose more cancers at an earlier stage, so if you have worrying symptoms it’s important to see the family doctor as soon as possible.

“Everyone working in the health service is committed to working with government, patients and the public to address these challenges, improve the performance and quality of core services and, in the long term, build an NHS fit for the future . “

Independent news outlets like ours – which report for the community without wealthy backers – are under threat of closure, turning Britain’s cities into news deserts.

The public they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, annual or one-time donation.

Choose the news. Don’t miss the news.

Direct monthly debit

Annual direct debit

£5 a month backers get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 a month backers get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted each month. Annual £50 backers get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else. Annual £84 backers get a hard copy by post and a digital copy of each month before anyone else.

More information about supporting us monthly

More information about donations