Sheffield hospitals waiting lists: Concerns raised as number waiting for care in city nears 94,000

NHS England’s most recent waiting list figures reveal Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust now has almost 77,959 waiting for care on its lists, with 69 per cent seen within 18 weeks, short of the NHS 92 per cent target. Half are seen in under 11 weeks.

At Sheffield Children’s Hospital, 15,949 were waiting to start treatment, with 61 per cent were being seen within the target 18 weeks. Half are seen in under 13 weeks.

Labour Sheffield Councillor Ruth Milsom, who chairs the council’s Health Scrutiny Sub-committee, said: “The Conservatives cannot blame the pandemic for this situation. Through 12 years of government they have failed to tackle issues of recruitment, retention, funding, and capacity across the NHS system.

“Waiting lists had already risen on their watch from 2.5m in 2010 to a then record 4.2m in March 2020 before the pandemic struck. Cabinet ministers accept that, under the Tories, ‘pandemic preparation was found wanting and inadequate,’ admitting that it is their own failures since 2010 that have led to this latest crisis.

“People’s lives are deeply affected – patients and NHS workers alike. Where is the compassion and sense of responsibility from those running the country? Will Thérèse Coffey step up and act now to rescue the situation she’s inherited? She could improve recruitment and retention by immediately making a 15 per cent pay award that would bring NHS salaries back to where they were in 2010 in real terms, for example.

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“Our health workers mustn’t carry any more of this burden of Westminster failure. This new Government has a short window in which to make some bold decisions. It’s time for those who hold the purse strings to stop putting the financial interests of the super-wealthy before the health interests of those they govern.”

Government health and social care secretary and deputy Prime Minister Thérèse Coffey said: “Clearly this level of performance is unacceptable, which is why I have set out our priorities will be ABCD: ambulances, backlogs, care and doctors and dentists.

“We know some of the backlog challenges will increase as people continue to present themselves for treatment. We are investing £39 billion to tackle these challenges, ensure the NHS is fully prepared for winter and fix the broken social care system.”

The Government says the minister has already met with NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard to establish plans to ensure the country’s health service is prepared for winter, boosting call handlers with at least 4,800 staff in NHS 111 and 2,500 staff in 999 call rooms as well as tackling delayed hospital discharge and using innovations such as virtual wards to create 7,000 more beds.

It is spending £150 million to help ease ambulance pressures and £20 million to upgrade the ambulance fleet and opening up to 160 community diagnostic centres - which have delivered 1.7 million extra checks and scans – so patients receive an early diagnosis.

Ambulance response times for life-threatening, emergency, urgent and less urgent calls have all improved since last month, they added.

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