Leaders call for NHS funding boost as data show 5.5 million patients are waiting for routine care

Healthcare leaders have called for more funding for the NHS as data show that 5.45 million patients in England are now waiting for routine care. Data published by NHS England and NHS Improvement on 12 August show that the number of patients waiting for consultant led elective care in June had risen to 5 454 314. Of those, 304 803 patients had been waiting more than 52 weeks.1 Deborah Ward, senior analyst at the health think tank the King’s Fund, warned that waiting lists had the potential to grow further, as …