HOSPITAL waiting lists are at another record high, NHS data shows ahead a fifth round of junior doctors’ strikes.
Some 7.6million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of June, up by 100,000 in a month despite Rishi Sunak’s pledge to shrink the list.
Health chiefs warned the NHS is set for its busiest summer yet, as strikes batter efforts to reduce waits.
Medics will down tools again for four days from tomorrow, with some new doctors taking to picket lines just days after starting their first health service jobs.
Professor Julian Redhead, of NHS England, said: “Today’s data is a reminder of the significant pressure on staff with this summer currently on trajectory to be the busiest in NHS history, all while industrial action continues to disrupt services.
“Despite this, hard-working staff are delivering improvements in urgent and emergency care waiting times while also tackling the backlog by doing more tests and checks than any July on record and seeing record numbers of people with suspected cancer.
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“While tomorrow the NHS will see a fifth round of junior doctor strike action with thousands of appointments and procedures likely to be postponed, the NHS will need to prioritise emergency care once again.
“So please continue to use 999 if it is a life-threatening emergency and 111 online for any other health concerns, while GPs and pharmacies are also unaffected by strikes.”
A total of 383,083 people had been waiting more than 52 weeks to start routine hospital treatment at the end of June, down slightly from 385,022 at the end of May.
Elsewhere, some 7,177 patients are estimated to have been waiting more than 18 months, down from 11,446 at the end of May.
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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made cutting waiting lists one of his priorities for 2023, pledging in January that "lists will fall and people will get the care they need more quickly".
However, he has said strikes across the health service are making the task "more challenging".
Industrial action has been ongoing since December 2022 in the NHS, leading to the postponement of almost 835,000 appointments.
Junior doctors are set to stage their fifth strike in the dispute on Friday, walking out for four days from 7am.
Consultants will strike for two days from August 24, and have threatened to walk out for a further 48 hours on September 19 if the Government continues to "refuse to agree to pay talks".
In July, the Government said all public sector workers will get a pay rise in line with pay review body recommendations.
Junior doctors will receive 6 per cent, as well as an additional £1,250 consolidated rise, while consultants will be given 6 per cent.
Mr Sunak said "there will be no more talks" on pay and that the Government's proposed deal is "fair".
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, Labour's shadow cabinet minister for mental health, said: "One in eight people are now waiting for NHS treatment, more than ever before.
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"Patients are waiting in pain and discomfort for months or even years."
She claimed Mr Sunak "blames hard-working doctors and nurses, yet he hasn’t lifted a finger to stop the strikes".
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