MORE than 100,000 patients were waiting for routine treatment at University Hospitals Sussex Trust in April, figures show.

The Society for Acute Medicine (SAM) said the current picture across the NHS in England – where 6.5 million people are waiting to start treatment – is "unacceptable and unsustainable" for patients and staff.

NHS England figures show 105,308 patients were waiting for non-urgent elective operations or treatment at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust at the end of April – up from 103,073 in March, and 93,379 in April 2021.

Of those, 6,736 (six per cent) had been waiting for longer than a year.

The median waiting time from referral at an NHS Trust to treatment at University Hospitals Sussex Trust was 14 weeks at the end of April – down from 15 weeks in March.

Rob Haigh, medical director for University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust, said: "The pandemic has resulted in higher waiting times across the country and unprecedented challenges for all healthcare services. 

“We know long waits and postponements are distressing for patients and we work hard to minimise these as far as we can. 

“Throughout we have prioritised those with the most urgent clinical needs.

"We are grateful for the ongoing support and understanding of our patients.”

Nationally, 6.5 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of April.

Dr Tim Cooksley, president of SAM, said the healthcare workforce and its capacity are currently the key issues facing the NHS, but that the latest figures show there is no easy solution.

He added: “The current experience for patients with long waits for both emergency and elective care is intolerable and this is causing significant morale injury to clinical and operational staff in NHS and social care who wish to provide high quality care for patients.

“The current situation is unacceptable and unsustainable for patients and staff.

"It is essential that the government urgently commits itself to the long-term solutions.”

Some 12,735 people were waiting more than two years for hospital treatment at the end of April – nearly five times the number waiting in April last year, but down from a record 23,778 in January.