The number of patients waiting in A&E and for routine treatment has hit record levels.
NHS staff have been “abandoned” heading into an Easter “as bad as any winter”, health leaders have warned.
The warning comes after the latest official NHS data revealed record waiting times in Accident and Emergency Departments alongside an increasing backlog of patients waiting for surgery.
In March, only 71% of patients were seen and treated within four hours – the national target for the health service. In March 2019, many hospitals managed to keep this figure above 90%.
A staggering 6.2 million people in England are now waiting for routine treatment, with more than 23,000 of them having already waited more than two years.
The group that represents NHS leaders has warned that the workforce feels “abandoned” by the Government, who are also failing to show any interest at all in Covid.
Covid is far from over.
NHS Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor said, “The brutal reality for staff and patients is that this Easter in the NHS is as bad as any winter. But instead of the understanding and support NHS staff received during 2020 and 2021, we have a government that seems to want to wash its hands of responsibility for what is occurring in plain sight in local services up and down the country.
“No 10 has seemingly abandoned any interest in Covid whatsoever. The Treasury has taken bites out of the already very tight NHS budget, while soaring inflation means the NHS settlement is now worth less. It is now unclear that anyone in the centre of government feels the unfolding NHS crisis is their responsibility.
“NHS leaders and their teams feel abandoned by the Government and they deserve better.
Mr Taylor added, “Covid is far from over as ministers appear to want to believe and we urge them to get a grip on this – both for the current spike in infections but also for potential future ones.”
