How a FIFTH UK waits for the NHS: Survey reveals dire state of health service

A fifth of Britons are waiting for NHS care, official data suggest ahead of what is expected to be the worst public health winter on record.

Thousands of people were asked about their difficulties in accessing health care.

Twenty percent said they were waiting for a hospital appointment, test, or medical treatment.

More than half said it was difficult or very difficult to see a family doctor, according to a survey by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Shockingly, ONS data showed that more than one in six adults on a waiting list for NHS treatment said they had waited a year or more

A fifth of Britons are waiting for an NHS hospital appointment, test or medical treatment, a damning new survey by the Office for National Statistics has revealed (file photo of patient receiving MRI scan).

The poll exposed the dire state of health care, which was hit today by its biggest strike ever.

Up to 100,000 nurses left dozens of hospitals in a row for pay.

Thousands of ambulance workers are set to go on strike next week, putting even more pressure on a system already crippled by routine stresses.

The survey of 2,542 adults comes after waiting lists in England hit an all-time high of 7.2 million in October.

Of the millions waiting for NHS care, 26 per cent said they had been in the queue for at least six months.

More than 7.2 million patients in England were behind in October (red line) – or one in eight people. More than 400,000 have been pending for at least a year (yellow bars)

Cancer performance data shows that only six out of ten cancer patients in October started treatment within two months of an urgent referral from their GP (red line). The figure is the second lowest since records began in 2009. NHS targets state that the figure should be at least 85 per cent. This means 5,728 people have waited more than eight weeks to start cancer treatment (blue bars).

Meanwhile, more than a third felt waiting for treatment made their condition worse.

The data also showed how difficult it is to see a family doctor in person: four out of ten patients only offered appointments by phone, although they wanted to meet in person.

Waiting too long for a doctor’s appointment was the second biggest problem reported to have a negative impact on people’s health and well-being after heating had to be reduced.

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