NHS waiting lists: one in 10 patients in Stockport waiting over a year for treatment

One in eight NHS patients in some areas of England have been waiting a year or more for treatment, new analysis by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

The party said the figures revealed patients are facing a stark postcode lottery, with waits of a year or more far more common in some areas than others.

Stockport had the fourth highest number of patients waiting for over a year in the country at 10%; twice the national average – and the lowest in the country is Sunderland with just 0.8% of patients in comparison.

On average, one in twenty patients in England on an NHS waiting list have been waiting for one year or more. This amounts to 385,022 people waiting a year or more to start treatment, up 15% compared to last year.  It comes despite a government pledge to eliminate the number of patients waiting more than a year by March 2025.

Liberal Democrat candidate for Hazel Grove constituency Lisa Smart said: “Rishi Sunak promised that NHS waiting lists would fall, instead they keep rising with thousands of people left waiting in pain for the treatment they need.

“Stockport is at the sharp end of this postcode lottery – when one in every 10 people can’t get seen for a year, it is really not good enough.”

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper added: “The government’s failure to get to grips with soaring NHS waiting times is causing untold suffering and damaging our economy by leaving people too sick to return to work. 

“The NHS is on its knees after years of Conservative neglect. Ministers have to take responsibility for tackling these unacceptable waits for treatment, instead of blaming everyone but themselves.”