Almost 40,000 patients waiting for NHS treatment in Barnsley and Rotherham

There are 22,225 people on waiting lists for Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust -one in 12 people across the borough.

There are 17,572 at Barnsley Hospital Foundation Trust – 1 in 14 of Barnsley’s population.

Across Rotherham and Barnsley, this is a combined total of 39 797 people waiting for NHS Treatment.

Wentworth and Dearne MP John Healey said: “Local health care staff across Rotherham and Barnsley worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic. They really were our national heroes but they’re still stretched like never before.

“Over a decade of Conservative cuts have left the NHS “wanting and inadequate” when the covid pandemic hit and patients now find themselves waiting too long as a result.

Dr David Crichton, chief medical officer at NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board said:“Our health and care teams in South Yorkshire are working incredibly hard to tackle the waiting times that have built up during the pandemic.

“We are seeing a significant improvement in waiting times, with a specific focus for those people who have been waiting the longest.

“Yet, we need to be in no doubt about the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on all aspects of health and care services.

“Waiting lists are regularly reviewed and people identified as needing urgent care are prioritised for their treatment.

“We acknowledge waiting for any sort of test or procedure is an anxious time and we continue work to ensure nobody waits longer than they have to.”

A spokesperson for The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust said:“Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, we have had to prioritise those in urgent need of care and regrettably this has had an impact on our waiting lists, however, we are working hard to reduce waiting times for people needing operations and procedures.

“We are aware of the impact this has on people and are determined to shorten waiting times as soon as we can.

“At the height of the pandemic, the proportion of patients waiting less than 18 weeks from referral to treatment (RTT) dropped to 46.8 per cent in July 2020.

“However, by May 2022 this had improved to 76.7 per cent. This is also reflected in the reduction of the number of patients waiting 52 weeks or longer, which reached nearly 800 in February 2021 compared to the most recent figures of 117 for June 2022.

“Prior to the pandemic, The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust was in the top 20 trusts in terms of RTT performance and the latest data shows that, despite the longer waits, our trust is currently ranked in the top 10 nationally.

“Our aim is to fully recover our elective services earlier than the national delivery timescale. We are working closely with teams in order to reach this ambitious target.”

Lorraine Burnett, Barnsley Hospital director of operations said: “Many who did not seek help earlier in the pandemic have been coming forward, but thanks to the hard work of NHS staff we are making progress on the longest waits.

“Patients in Barnsley are also finding attending for diagnostic tests easier due to the pioneering £3million Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) the hospital opened in April at The Glass Works centre in the town.”