News alert / Long-term view of NHS waiting lists

A report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies stated that since 1987, waiting lists for NHS treatment have typically fallen under Labour governments. Under Conservative governments between 1987 and 1997, the NHS waiting list rose substantially though the median waiting time fell (along with the number of patients waiting more than a year for treatment). Under the Labour governments of 1997 to 2010, the waiting list fell substantially, and median waiting times for inpatient and day-case activity were lower than under the preceding Conservative governments. Under the coalition and Conservative governments of the 2010s, the NHS waiting list rose, along with median waiting times. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, however, the report stated that both waiting lists and waiting times have increased dramatically.