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Dr Layla McCay, director at the NHS Confederation, responding to the latest performance figures published by NHS England and NHS Improvement

“Health leaders have been telling us how the second wave of coronavirus and its associated challenges are adding significant pressures to their ability to deliver the full range of services for patients, and these figures are further evidence of that.

“While there is disruption to non-urgent procedures in certain areas of the country, our members remain committed to prioritising patients with the greatest clinical need. We can see that in cancer treatments, which have returned to pre-pandemic levels. It is good to see more people starting treatment within 18 weeks of referral, and the number of GP appointments is now broadly the same as last year. These are great achievements for the NHS in the context of managing rising numbers of patients with COVID-19.

“But it is clear that in order for the NHS to recover from the pandemic, it needs additional investment from the Government in its Spending Review. There has been a 100-fold increase in people waiting more than a year for non-urgent elective treatment, which promises of 40 new hospitals will not solve alone. Addressing this challenge needs not just places but also people, which needs to be a priority, as we entered the pandemic with 90,000 vacancies across the NHS.

“Frontline services are facing a capacity crunch as winter looms, particularly with staff sickness and self-isolation, coupled with the imminent requirement for staff to support a mass coronavirus vaccination programme on top of their existing workloads. We need to see continued support from the public to reduce the transmission of the disease so that the NHS does not become overwhelmed, alongside realism and support from decision-makers about what the NHS can safely deliver.”