Goverment come under fire as waiting list figures reach record high

The Government has come in for considerable criticism today after new figures revealed a record 707,000 patients remain on hospital waiting lists.

The figures, from the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), have reached their highest level ever, with 511,904 patients waiting for their first appointment at an outpatient clinic. Of these, almost 80,000 are waiting more than a year-and-a-half. More than 44,000 outpatients are children.