Dozens waiting over 18 months for routine treatment at Queen Alexandra hospital as government misses target

Figures from NHS England show 111 patients have been subject to long waits as of the end of March 2023. The government has missed its target of eliminating 18-month waits for planned NHS care.

This covers procedures such as knee and hip replacements. Of these patients at Portsmouth Hospitals University Trust, the majority of them have faced delays due to the global shortage of corneas – 74 per cent.

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The remaining 26 per cent – roughly 30 people – have had lengthy wait times without any mitigating factors such as waiting out of choice or for clinically complex reasons. Across the UK, 10,737 people were waiting over 18 months to start routine treatment.

This is down from 29,778 at the end of February. The government and NHS England wanted to eliminate these delays by April, excluding exceptionally complex cases or people who decide to wait longer.

From March’s data, 41 per cent are difficult cases or people choosing to delay procedures. An estimated 7.3m people were waiting to start treatment at the end of March – a record high which is up from 7.2m in February.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak said: ‘I promised I would cut NHS waiting lists and we are delivering. Reducing 18-month waits by over 90 per cent is huge progress, and it is testament to the hard work of NHS staff who have achieved this despite one of the busiest winters on record.

‘We still have work to do, but backed by record Government investment and the ongoing efforts of the NHS, I am confident we will get patients the care they need more quickly.’

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Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: ‘Cutting waiting lists to ensure people get the care they need more quickly is one of the Government’s five key priorities. Today’s significant milestone shows we’re delivering on our Elective Recovery Plan despite NHS strikes and the challenging winter.’

Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive, said the ‘great strides’ the NHS is making is testimony to the hard work of frontline colleagues. Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said the missed target leaves ‘thousands of patients in pain and discomfort for unacceptably long’ and ‘you can’t trust the Tories with the NHS.’