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Patients could wait two years for vital operation because of the truly frightening backlog caused by the Covid pandemic, the former boss of the NHS has warned.
Sir David Nicholson warned No10 increasing delays to surgery pose a risk to patients health and will become a massive political problem over the next few years.
A record 4.59million people in England are waiting for treatment as a result of hospitals having to prioritise Covid patients.
And the NHS Confederation believes there could be as many as 6.9million people on the hidden waiting list by the end of the year.
The startling figures come as Britain continue to emerge from the depths of the pandemic, with the UK s daily coronavirus cases almost halving in a week yesterday to the lowest level in almost seven months.
Woman, 24, in so much pain she can no longer leave the house as she battles leukaemia
Sophie, from Huyton, just wants to live a normal life again
Updated (Image: Sophie Mulligan)
A woman has been left in so much pain due to her cancer treatment she can no longer leave the house.
Sophie Mulligan, 24, was given the devastating news her acute lymphoblastic leukaemia had returned for a third time, at the start of the pandemic, last year.
Her white blood cells even had to be flown to America for treatment.
Normally, the process for cells would take around four weeks, but the Covid-19 backlog meant Sophie had to wait longer.
Cancer deaths will rise for the first time in decades unless urgent action is taken to tackle the Covid backlog, the Government was warned today.
One Cancer Voice, a coalition of 47 cancer charities, argued more money and staff are desperately needed to address problems stemming from the pandemic.
The charities speaking collectively for the first time also asked for the NHS to be given greater access to private facilities.
They said almost 45,000 UK patients living with cancer without knowing it should have started treatment in 2020 but did not due to delays caused by coronavirus.
Cancer experts today praised the charities for raising awareness of the biggest crisis in oncology seen in more than 50 years.