For thousands of people in this country, a corrective operation is the best way to relieve debilitating pain and get them back up on their feet, back to work and enjoying life again. When we eventually emerge from this crisis, we will need sustained investment to treat all those who have been waiting patiently for treatment.
Some 1.42 million patients on the list had been waiting for longer than the target of 18 weeks from referral to treatment.
Almost 223,000 were admitted for routine hospital treatment in November, down 27 per cent from 303,000 in the same month a year previously.
Dr Nick Scriven, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: This data shows exactly how dire things are with millions of people waiting to start hospital treatment and 330,000 people waiting more than six weeks for key diagnostic tests.