and a lack of staff, according to a new report. there are nearly six million people waiting for nhs treatment, but mps on the health and social care committee say this could grow unless more people are recruited. our health correspondent, sophie hutchinson has this report. the number of people caught up in delays for nhs treatment in england is by far the worst ever recorded. patients have been forced to wait while hospitals focus on emergency care for those with the virus. tackling the backlog is an unquantifiable challenge, according to the health select committee. its report sets out the scale of the problem. in september, 5.8 million people were waiting for planned care. 300,000 had waited more than a year for treatment, and 12,000 had waited more than two years. keith makepeace, a keen marathon runner with the family runner with a family hotel business, in devon, was being treated for stage iv bowel cancer when the pandemic hit. his chemotherapy, which had been
than two years. keith makepeace, a keen marathon runner with a family hotel business, in devon, was being treated for stage iv bowel cancer when the pandemic hit. his chemotherapy, which had been going well, was then delayed for six months. so the national health and cancer care, as far as i can see, completely fell apart. and by the time i did then see my oncologist, basically, my cancer had increased and spread to such a degree that they said i was no longer eligible for some of the drugs. nhs leaders have said workforce shortages are the key limiting factor and that funding new doctors and nurses is absolutely critical in order to clear the backlog. mps are now calling for the government to tackle staff shortages.
keith makepeace, a keen marathon runner with a family hotel business, in devon, was being treated for stage iv bowel cancer when the pandemic hit. his chemotherapy, which had been going well, was then delayed for six months. so the national health and cancer care, as far as i can see, completely fell apart. and by the time i did then see my oncologist, basically, my cancer had increased and spread to such a degree that they said i was no longer eligible for some of the drugs. nhs leaders have said workforce shortages are the key limiting factor and that funding new doctors and nurses is absolutely critical in order to clear the backlog. mps are now calling for the government to tackle staff shortages.
people are recruited. there s a backlog of gaps in the nhs workforce of 97,000. our health correspondent sophie hutchinson has this report. the number of people caught up in delays for nhs treatment in england is by far the worst ever recorded. patients have been forced to wait while hospitals focus on emergency care for those with the virus. tackling the backlog is an unquantifiable challenge, according to the health select committee. its report sets out the scale of the problem. in september, 5.8 million people were waiting for planned care. 300,000 had waited more than a year for treatment, and 12,000 had waited more than two years. keith makepeace, a keen marathon runner with a family hotel business, in devon, was being treated for stage iv bowel cancer when the pandemic hit. his chemotherapy, which had been going well, was then delayed for six months. so the national health and cancer