One in ten people are waiting for routine NHS treatment in nearly two-dozen areas of England, analysis revealed today.
Figures show 22 of 106 clinical commissioning groups — NHS bodies that manage care in local areas — were recording waiting lists that had spiralled to a tenth of their population.
More than one in seven people were waiting for care in Birmingham and Solihull, which was the worst-hit part of the nation according to data from the House of Commons Library.
Labour was behind the analysis and shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth urged ministers to ‘bring forward the investment needed to bring waiting lists down’ and abandon plans to reform the NHS.
Newly-appointed Health Secretary Sajid Javid is planning to merge all CCGs into integrated care systems, which will have bigger budgets and oversee healthcare in much larger areas.
But Mr Ashworth accused the Government of ’embarking on a top down reorganisation of the NHS’ at the wrong time.
Critics have slammed the reform — the biggest shake-up of the health service for a decade — as a power grab that could open the door to privatising the health service.
NHS waiting lists in England have now spiralled to their highest levels since records began, with 5.3million people now waiting for routine treatment — such as hip replacements or cataract surgery. Ministers fear it could spiral to 13million before the end of the pandemic.
Spiralling admissions during the first and second waves forced hospitals to turn over whole wards to fighting Covid, leaving tens of thousands of non-urgent operations cancelled to make way for the infected.
NHS leaders have called for caution when most remaining restrictions are lifted on July 19 ‘Freedom Day’, amid warnings hospitals could again face an influx of Covid patients derailing efforts to reduce waiting lists.
NHS England figures show more than 5.3million people are waiting for treatment in England, the highest number since records began in 2007. Ministers fear the list could surge to 13million
Official data also revealed A&E units saw their busiest ever month in June, with more than 1.4million attendances in June 2020
SAGE modelling predicts around 2,000 people could be admitted to hospital every day at the peak of the third wave of the virus.
For comparison, this is half the peak in January but still represents significant pressure. There are currently around 400 Covid admissions every day in England.
Mr Ashworth said: ‘NHS staff have been through the most intense 18 months in the history of the health service and Covid admissions are already rising steeply again.
‘Waiting times for operations are increasing, young people are struggling to access adequate mental health support and cancer patients see vital treatment and surgery cancelled.
‘Sajid Javid has warned waiting lists could top 13million but instead of bringing forward the investment needed to bring waiting lists down he is embarking on a top down reorganisation of the NHS that fails to integrate health and social care.
‘[This] represents a significant erosion of local accountability with a power grab for the Secretary of State and risks a new wave of lucrative crony contracts handed to the private sector.’
Labour’s analysis revealed North East London CCG had the biggest waiting list, with more than 182,000 patients yet to be treated.
It was followed by North West London CCG (178,000), Birmingham and Solihull CCG (173,000) and South East London CCG (151,896).
Ministers are planning to launch a reorganisation of the NHS despite record waiting lists, which they say will help to deal with the patients backlog.
They have pledged to ‘burst bureaucracy’ in the health service under plans that will eventually see the Department of Health given controlling power over the NHS.
The bill also contains other contentious plans, including a ban on junk food advertising before 9pm.
Mr Javid had initially wanted to delay the plans, but was told by Boris Johnson that any delay would push them back by another year.
Several doctors and nurses have railed against the plans for restructuring including the British Medical Journal, insisting it is not the right time as the health service recovers from the pandemic.
It comes as more than 1,200 leading scientists rebelled against No10’s decision to push ahead with ‘Freedom Day’ on Monday, slamming the move as ‘criminal’ and branding the Government’s return to pursuing herd immunity ‘unethical’.
A coalition of experts and doctors signed a letter in medical journal The Lancet critiquing Boris Johnson’s ‘unscientific’ decision last night, amid soaring Covid infection numbers and rising hospitalisations and deaths.
The group — including four prominent SAGE experts — claimed millions more adults need to be double-jabbed and doses should be beginning to be dished out to children as well for easing restrictions to be safe.
Among the signatories are David Cameron’s former Chief Scientific Adviser Sir David King, as well as BMA council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul, former and Professor Christina Pagel, a mathematician at University College London and Independent SAGE member.