People are waiting increasingly longer for treatment, with 8% of those on the list currently waiting more than 46 weeks.

Every country saw economic inactivity spike during Covid, but only in Britain is the rise in worklessness continuing. The roots of the growth in the waiting list lie in avoidable failures, including a decade of underinvestment in the NHS, a failure to address chronic staff shortages, and the longstanding neglect of social care. The pandemic heaped further significant pressure on an already stressed system, but waiting lists were already growing long before COVID-19. Against this backdrop, industrial action has resulted in a small increase in the overall size of the waiting list, notwithstanding the wider disruption caused.