THOUSANDS of patients waited longer than a year for routine treatment at the trust running Colchester and Ipswich hospitals in June, figures show.

NHS England figures show 73,392 patients were waiting for non-urgent elective operations or treatment at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust at the end of June.

This figure is up from 71,006 in May and 59,543 in June 2021.

Of the latest June figures, 2,657 patents had been waiting for longer than a year.

Jessica Morris, fellow at the Nuffield Trust health think tank, said the NHS has had success in clearing the vast majority of two-year waits.

In the east of England, 2,988 patients were waiting for more than two years for treatment at the end of January.

At the end of July, only four patients were waiting more than two years due to capacity reasons in hospitals, with them all being booked into receive their treatment soon.

At the trust, 12,864 patients were waiting for one of 14 standard tests in June, such as an MRI scan, non-obstetric ultrasound or gastroscopy.

Of them, 2,591 had been waiting for at least six weeks.

Other figures show cancer patients at the East Suffolk and North Essex Trust are not being seen quickly enough.

The NHS states 85 per cent of cancer patients urgently referred by a GP should start treatment within 62 days.

But data shows just 75 per cent of patients urgently referred by the NHS who received cancer treatment at the trust in June began treatment within two months of their referral.

That was up from 73 per cent in May, but down from 81 per cent in June 2021 last year.

Dr Martin Mansfield, deputy chief medical officer at the trust, said: “Our teams regularly review all the patients on our waiting lists, and we are committed to treating everyone who is waiting for treatment in the communities we serve as quickly and safely as possible.

“Waiting lists have undoubtedly increased due to the Covid-19 pandemic response and its ongoing impact, but we do not want anyone to wait any longer than necessary.

“We are working hard to reduce the backlog at our trust, and we are prioritising patients based on clinical need, in line with national guidance for all NHS trusts.”