Record NHS waiting lists will continue to grow for two more years despite Boris Johnson pumping in an extra £12bn
RECORD NHS waiting lists will continue to grow for two more years despite Boris Johnson pumping in an extra £12billion to help slash the backlog.
The PM yesterday hailed the Covid Recovery Plan.
He called it the “biggest catch-up programme in the history of the health service, backed by unprecedented funding.”
NHS bosses have pledged to prioritise tackling long delays — with an end to two-year waits for surgery by July.
And no one should face longer than 18 months by April next year, with all patients treated within 12 months by March 2025.
But officials admit waiting lists in England could still peak at 14million — from the current record high of six million, or one in nine people.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid told the Commons up to ten million fewer people than expected had come forward for treatment over the pandemic.
He said that, as a result, the number of people on waiting lists will “sadly, continue rising before it falls”.
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He added: “Assuming half of the missing demand from the pandemic returns over the next three years, the NHS expects waiting lists to be reducing by March 2024.”
NHS supremo Amanda Pritchard said staff would apply the same can-do spirit displayed through the pandemic to address backlogs.
But she admitted eradicating long waits “cannot happen overnight”.
The blitz will also focus on treating cancer patients sooner.
But Cancer Research UK fears the plan does not go far enough.