The Royal College of Physicians has responded to the latest NHS performance statistics.
Dr John Dean, clinical vice president at the Royal College of Physicians said:
'The latest NHS performance data continues to show the immense demands facing the health service but also underscores the remarkable efforts made by the workforce to deliver care for patients despite this relentless demand. These monthly figures and the Darzi Review emphasise that the health service urgently requires widespread, long-term reform.
'7.62 million people are currently on waiting lists, though the number of waiting longer than a year has dropped to its lowest since December 2020. Diagnostic teams also achieved a record high number of procedures, performing 2.49 million tests.
'Emergency departments saw an expected drop in attendances compared to July, but there remain unacceptable numbers of patients waiting 12 hours for admission with a staggering 28,494 patients in the “quietest” month of the year. There was also a further increase in delayed discharges and long stays, which are the main cause of delays for admission.
'Patients and professionals must be heard that this level of delays in care is unacceptable. An appropriately resourced social care sector, outpatient reform, doing more to support specialist care in the community and doing much more to prevent ill health, are all part of the solution as suggested. Without this, the NHS and staff will continue to struggle to meet the demands of an ageing population and the increasing complexity of care. Staff must be enabled not only to deliver care, but to improve it through these changes.'