Pandemic leaves 30 waiting over a year for treatment

NHS Digital statistics show 31 patients needing non-emergency care at the Trust had waited more than 12 month to be checked into hospital in the year to March following the initial decision to admit them.

A Northumbria Healthcare spokesperson said: “The figures in question show that the number of patients waiting more than a year to be admitted for treatment at Northumbria Healthcare is very low compared to most other parts of the country.

"They also show that almost 17,000 of our patients waited less than a month and another 4,400 less than two months to be admitted.

“We always try to ensure that patients receive as timely care as possible, but we accept that a small number have had to wait long periods for various reasons and we are working hard to address this.”

Nationally, more than 95,000 patients admitted for non-urgent treatment in 2020-21 had been waiting for more than a year – up from around 42,000 the year before.

A spokeswoman for the NHS said caring for 450,000 Covid-19 patients in hospital had had an inevitable impact on the health service's ability to deliver care for less urgent conditions.

She said: “The NHS has laid out its plan for the next six months, which includes £1.5billion of funding to support the continued recovery of waiting lists and cancer services.”