The never-ending crisis of the NHS: Waiting lists hit another record high with 7.1 MILLION patients needing surgery, emergency departments succumb to a record 43,000 spending 12 hours in emergency and ambulances are slower than ever… and this is all BEFORE the strikes even start!

The number of people in England waiting for routine hospital treatment has risen to a new high.

According to official figures, a total of 7.1 million people in England were waiting for treatment to start at the end of September.

This is an increase of 7.0 million in August and the highest number since records began in August 2007.

The number of people waiting more than 12 hours in ED stations in England for a decision to admit they have actually been admitted has risen to a new all-time high.

New data from NHS England shows that 43,792 people waited longer than 12 hours in October, up 34 per cent on 32,776 in September and the highest number since August 2010.

The number of waiting times of at least four hours after the notification of admission also reached a new high of 150,922 in October, after 131,861 in the previous month.

A total of 69.3 patients in England were seen in ED within four hours in the past month, the worst ever performance and the first time it has fallen below 70 per cent.

However, the operational standard that at least 95 percent of patients presenting to the emergency department must be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours has not been met nationwide since 2015.