Waiting times in the NHS have risen during the coronavirus pandemic. Credit: PA Archive/PA Images
The number of people in England waiting a year or longer for NHS treatment has risen by around 12,000% since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, a think tank has warned.
Modelling carried out by researchers for Reform found one in six of the population could be on the waiting list for treatment by April.
This equates having around 10 million people on the waiting list by Spring, as referrals for non-Covid cases begin to resume but limits on NHS capacity remain.
NHS directors say that if the predictions are correct then services will face a “mammoth” task to tackle the backlog.
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