Record number of people now awaiting medical treatment 

Hospital consultants and the opposition have slammed new figures which show that a record number of people are now on waiting lists for medical treatment.

The latest National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) report showed the number of people on waiting lists has grown by 100,000 in just the past year, to a total of 883,767. That figure includes 21,420 patients now waiting for more than a year for essential hospital treatment.