Saoirse Mallorie, Senior Analyst at The King’s Fund responded to the latest NHS performance statistics

‘In their elective recovery plan, ministers set the NHS an ambitious target to eradicate 18-month waits for planned hospital care by April 2023. These figures show that huge strides have been made towards that goal, bringing down the number of 18-month waits from 69,300 to 29,800 in a year. However, patients are still facing unacceptably long waits and we can expect to see the overall waiting list, which currently stands at 7.2 million people, continue to swell as the NHS grapples with sustained pressures.  

‘These figures also demonstrate that A&E departments continue to be under real strain, with more than 10 per cent of people spending more than 12 hours in A&E in February. The number of medically fit patients waiting to be discharged from hospital remains high, illustrating the pressure on other health and care services that would normally support people out of hospital. 

‘Bringing down waiting times and making it easier for people to access treatment will need a long-term approach from politicians and national leaders. This needs to include the publication and funding of the much-awaited NHS workforce plan and a renewed focus on prevention and social care.’