…By Henry George for TDPel Media.
As of May, there were 7.47 million people waiting to commence routine hospital treatment, surpassing the previous figure of 7.42 million at the end of April.
These figures underscore the substantial backlog in the healthcare system. The Government and NHS England have set the ambitious goal of eliminating all waits exceeding one year by March 2025.
Junior doctors recently staged a five-day walkout, making it the longest period of industrial action in the history of the NHS.
Sir Julian Hartley, CEO of NHS Providers, characterizes the industrial action as a “black cloud” hanging over the NHS during its most challenging operational period.