Our NHS faces complex challenges in a post-Covid world

The news that the latest numbers relating to patients waiting for routine treatment across the NHS has reached almost 5 million patients, up from 4.7 million in February, will be noted glumly by many. With the number of people waiting more than a year for treatment in England going up by more than 50,000 in a single month, to 436,000.

The good news, as we continue moving out of lockdown, is that the data shows the total number of people admitted for routine treatment in hospitals in England was up 6 per cent in March 2021, when compared with a year earlier. NHS England has also announced £160m to fund new pilots in 12 areas to trial new ways of cutting the backlog, although there appears little detail about how staffing for the scheme will work as yet.

The NHS has been a constant topic in our correspondence with readers during the Covid-19 pandemic, with people understanding that coronavirus treatment should obviously take priority. We have had plenty of letters about workloads and pay levels for NHS staff, with lots of support for decreasing the former and increasing the latter.

We have also received a number of more personal letters about medical treatment for things beyond coronavirus, both from people who have had operations postponed and those continuing to receive treatment. This highlights the complicated nature of what the NHS faces as it transitions back towards what might be seen as a more "typical" caseload, in the wake of the pandemic.

The move is obviously important to readers – we will all likely know family members or friends dealing with treatment – and no doubt we will receive plenty more letters about it. We will be sure to bring you the latest information as the NHS seeks to deal with the situation.

Yours,

Chris Stevenson

Voices editor