THOUSANDS of hospital patients are on an ever-growing waiting list for non-urgent treatment with some even having to wait more than a year before getting surgery.

The new figures published by NHS England show 75,961 patients were awaiting non-urgent elective operations or treatment from the East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust last month, which is 15,000 more than this time last year.

The total of 3,124 patients are even waiting more than a year for non urgent operations which include kidney stone removals, hip replacements or hernia surgery.

In April 2020, NHS hospitals in England were told to suspend all non-urgent elective surgery for at least three months as hospitals focussed on combatting the Covid-19 pandemic, meaning hospitals are now finding themselves playing catch-up to clear the Covid backlog.

Amanda Pritchard, the NHS chief executive, has said clearing the NHS backlog could not be achieved through making current staff work harder, but by providing more support.

She said: "To succeed, we have to grow and support our workforce, so they can deliver excellent care."

Read more:

• Outrage as unhappy campers left in tears by order to rip down decorations

• Former roller hockey star backs bid to save Rollerworld from impending closure

• Pervert who had sexual conversations with fictitious schoolgirl jailed for four years

But the chief analyst of the King’s Fund, a charity which works to improve health and care in England, said the refusal of successive governments to address health and care workforce crisis has created major problems.

Siva Anandaciva said: "This winter, typical seasonal pressures on NHS services will be amplified by Covid-19 and a cost-of-living crisis that could impact on people’s physical and mental health."

"The government must acknowledge stark reality of the situation.

"If the current workforce and spending plans are the most the Government is willing to offer, then there is little chance the Health and Care Secretary’s Plan for Patients will be delivered."

Responding to the figures, the ESNEFT deputy chief executive Neill Moloney said the trust is taking appropriate action to tackle the waiting list.

He said: “We have recovery action plans in place, and we are doing everything we can to reduce the backlog.

"This includes increasing our capacity, running additional clinic lists and we are prioritising patients based on their clinical need, in line with national guidance for all NHS trusts."