Tens of thousands of patients were waiting for routine treatment at Oxford University Hospitals Trust in October, figures show.

The figures come as the King's Fund warns the NHS is "bursting at the seams", as winter pressures mount up.

NHS England figures show 69,691 patients were waiting for non-urgent elective operations or treatment at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust at the end of October – up slightly from 69,084 in September, and 52,492 in October 2021.

Of those, 1,674 (2%) had been waiting for longer than a year.

The median waiting time from referral at an NHS Trust to treatment at Oxford University Hospitals Trust was 12 weeks at the end of October – the same as in September.

Nationally, 7 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of October.

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Danielle Jefferies, from the King’s Fund, said: “The latest figures show an NHS bursting at the seams as services head into winter struggling to meet sharply rising demand while keeping patients safe.

"It is easy to become numb to dire NHS performance figures, but the health service really is facing the toughest pressures since modern records began," she added.

Separate figures show 1.5 million patients in England were waiting for a key diagnostic test in October – a fall from 1.6 million in September.

At Oxford University Hospitals Trust, 15,519 patients were waiting for one of 15 standard tests, such as an MRI scan, non-obstetric ultrasound or gastroscopy at this time.

Of them, 1,487 (10%) had been waiting for at least six weeks.

Dr Susan Crossland, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine – a representative body for hospital staff – said of the latest NHS performance data that "such shocking levels of performance are now commonplace" and a sign of "just how far the NHS has fallen".

“Standards are at all-time lows for both patients and staff, and it is demoralising for colleagues across the country and the UK as a whole who are working tirelessly against the tide to deliver a reasonable quality of care,” Dr Crossland added.

Other figures show cancer patients at Oxford University Hospitals Trust are not being seen quickly enough.

The NHS states 85% of cancer patients urgently referred by a GP should start treatment within 62 days.

But NHS England data shows just 56% of patients urgently referred by the NHS who received cancer treatment at Oxford University Hospitals Trust in October began treatment within two months of their referral.

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That was down from both 62% in September, and 70% in October 2021 last year.

Professor Julian Redhead, national clinical director for urgent and emergency care for NHS England, said the service is facing a "perfect storm".

“Despite the ongoing pressures on services which are exacerbated by flu hospitalisations, issues in social care meaning we cannot discharge patients who are ready, and record numbers needing A&E, staff have powered through to bring down some of our longest waits for care," he continued.

Professor Redhead added that the organisation is hoping to alleviate some of the pressures with a new respiratory infections hub, alongside an expansion of support for those suffering mental health crises.

An OUH spokesperson said: “Our Emergency Departments (A&E) are very busy at the moment.  We are working hard to treat everyone, and are working with our colleagues across the health and social care system to alleviate pressures.

“We treat people in order of clinical priority in A&E, so if you come with something minor you will be waiting a long time.  If you need urgent but not emergency medical care and are unsure where to go, contact NHS 111 who can signpost you to local services that may be more appropriate.

“During what has been a challenging time for the NHS, staff have worked hard and cared for patients needing urgent care while continuing to see as many non-urgent patients as possible.

"We know that waiting for treatment can be a worrying time for our patients and we are doing all that we can to tackle this. We are working closely with all of our partners to maximise all available capacity for our patients.

“Patients waiting for treatment are prioritised based on clinical urgency, and we continue to urge anyone who needs help to come forward to get the care they need.”

 

 

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