More than half of patients waiting longer than NHS target time for treatment at Queen Elizabeth Hospital
That's according to NHS data
More than half of patients are waiting too long for non-urgent treatment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn new figures show, as disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic continues.
With colder weather approaching, experts are warning that the NHS must be winter-proof to prevent seasonal flu and further Covid-19 outbreaks from bringing routine surgeries to a halt.
According to NHS rules, patients referred for non-urgent consultant-led elective care should start treatment within 18 weeks.
But NHS data shows 53% of patients on the waiting list for elective operations or other treatment at The QE at the end of July had been waiting longer - up from 19% in the same month last year.
It means 6,876 patients had been waiting longer than the target time.
NHS trusts are normally expected to make sure no more than 8% of patients are left waiting beyond the 18-week maximum target.
But non-urgent elective operations - such as hip and knee replacements - were suspended during the height of lockdown to free up beds for coronavirus patients, leading to delayed care for many patients across England.
Professor Neil Mortensen, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said patients who have been waiting months for treatment "cannot afford to wait until next spring".
He added:
"We urgently need to build up our hospital reserves if we are to see this winter through.
"Flu, together with continuing local Covid-19 outbreaks, must not bring surgery to a standstill again, or thousands more will suffer."
Nationally, 2.2 million people were still waiting for treatment after 18 weeks in July - the highest number for a single month since records began in 2007.