And 65 per cent of hospitals saw fewer cancer patients than at the same time the year before. North Middlesex Hospital NHS Trust, in London, was worst hit after only managing to start treating 34.7 per cent of cancer patients within the 62-day target (38 patients were waiting for treatment). It was followed by Hull Teaching Hospital which saw 50.4 per cent (29,967 out of 59,437) and Dorset County Hospital which saw 53.3 per cent (8,651 out of 16,246). As many as 174 NHS trusts in England provided referral to treatment waiting time data in December 2020, and 168 in December 2019. More than 22 per cent of beds at both trusts were taken up by patients suffering from Covid, the NHS figures also revealed.

Source: The Nation March 08, 2021 14:09 UTC