Boris Johnson has ‘no doubt’ a record backlog of 4.7 million NHS treatment lists can be processed | Political news

Boris Johnson said he “definitely” has a backlog of 4.7 million people waiting to start treatment with the NHS.

NHS England data shows the number of people waiting to start hospital treatment by the end of February 2021 has reached its highest level since records began in 2007.

The number of people waiting more than 52 weeks to start treatment was 387,885 in February 2021, a figure not reached since December 2007.

As of February 2020, that number was only 1,613.

The number of people admitted for routine inpatient treatment fell 47% in February from a year earlier – with 152,642 admitted in February 2021 and 285,918 in February 2020, who had an extra day because it was of a leap year.

In January, the year-over-year decline was 54% while in December 2020 it was down 25%.

Health and charities have warned that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a ‘catastrophic’ impact on NHS services.

The Prime Minister said the issue was “a real priority” now and the government will ensure the NHS has the funds to tackle the build-up of waiting lists.

“We need people to book their appointments and get the treatment they need,” he said.

“We are going to make sure we give the NHS all the funding it needs, as we have done throughout the pandemic, to overcome the backlog.

“We are going to do whatever it takes. The NHS has done an incredible job so far, I have no doubts that they will be able to tackle this as well.

He added that the government had injected an additional £ 92 billion into the NHS this year.

Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the lack of government funding from the NHS over the past 10 years has meant the service is ‘weakened when a pandemic strikes’.

He told Sky News: “It means you have to make a choice between COVID care or cancer care, but it …