ALMOST a thousand people had been waiting more than a year for routine treatment at Oxfordshire’s hospitals in June, new figures have revealed.

The number of patients waiting more than 18 weeks for the non-urgent consultant-led elective care also soared to a record high at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH). Patients referred for such care should start treatment within 18 weeks, according to NHS rules.

But the latest statistics from the NHS show 23,309 patients on the waiting list for elective operations or treatment at the trust at the end of June had been waiting longer.

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That was 55 per cent of those on the list, up from just 17 per cent the previous June and the highest rate for the month since 2011, the earliest year for which data was available. Of those who were delayed, 930 had been waiting more than a year.

NHS trusts are normally expected to make sure no more than eight per cent of patients are left waiting beyond the 18-week maximum target. But the thousands of procedures cancelled to free up hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic has created a huge backlog across England.

Nationally, 1.9 million people were still waiting for treatment after 18 weeks in June – the most for any month since records began in 2007. At 48 per cent of those on the waiting list, it was also the worst performance on record.

More than 50,000 had been on the list for more than a year, compared to around 1,000 a year earlier.

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A statement from OUH said: "During the pandemic, like NHS trusts across the country, our priority has been on providing Covid-19 capacity and ensuring the safety of our patients and staff. OUH has continued to carry out urgent and emergency treatment, including for cancer patients.

"We are working closely with our local healthcare partners, including independent sector organisations, in restoring our elective capacity, so that we reduce the number of patients waiting for non-emergency procedures."

Boris Johnson recently announced NHS trusts across England will receive £300 million to upgrade facilities ahead of the winter amid fears of a second wave of the coronavirus.

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The Prime Minister said the additional cash would enable hospitals to maintain essential services and reduce the risk of Covid-19 infection during the coming months.

The funding comes from a £1.5 billion capital building allocation for the NHS set out by Mr Johnson in June..

An NHS spokesman said: “Now that the NHS has managed the first wave of coronavirus, there is an important job to do to help people whose planned care was postponed to protect their own safety, and that’s exactly what local health services are doing, while also remaining ready for any future increase in Covid cases.”