Big difference dey on how long patients fit wait to get hospital treatment depending on which part of England, BBC News analysis don reveal.
Patients suppose begin treatment within18 weeks but for di worst-performing hospital trust, Milton Keynes, nearly two-thirds dey wait for longer time.
And dis na four times di number of patients wey dey wait pass 18 weeks for di best-performing trust for di kontri.
Dis dey occur as di numbers for di end of January show say di overall waiting list fall small below 7.58 million.
Experts say even though e get some real reason why dis difference wey BBC News identify dey occur, di bigness of di gap na also a result of hospitals poor performance.
King Fund think tank chief analyst Siva Anandaciva say some kain mata like di underlying health of di area pipo, for example, fit only partly explain di findings.
Some of di differences without any argument dey “unwarranted”, im say, and due to how well different-different hospital trusts bin dey perform and manage dia waiting lists, including maximising use of operating theatres.
“Di focus on di national picture dey cover di fact say you fit get significantly different experience of care if you dey live for Camden or Cumbria,” Anandaciva tok.
“Ultimately, e dey really test di ‘N’ inside ‘NHS’.”
But Anandaciva also point out say no trust performance dey great – as everyone dey miss di target to see 92% patients inside 18 weeks.
‘We no fit rely on NHS’
Liz Magnall, 58, from Bury, na one of di pipo wey find hersef dey wait for long time for one of di worst-performing trusts.
She bin dey for one Manchester University NHS Trust waiting list for gynaecological operation, until, di symptoms become worse, she come decide to borrow money pay for private treatment.
Di doctors wey dey treat Magnall also discover early signs of cancer, so for di end she do hysterectomy – operation to remove di womb – to stop di disease from developing.
She feel relieved say she go private. “I literally no know how long I for wait for NHS,” Magnall tok. “I feel great now.
“My advice? Go private. We no fit to rely on NHS.”
Manchester University NHS Trust say dem don improve dia waiting time now for di kain treatment wey Magnall bin wait for.
And one tok-tok pesin for di trust say dem go happy to meet her to discuss her case.
Di trust get some unique pressures, im tok, as e point out say im na di biggest for di kontri, dem dey run 10 hospitals, and dem get many of di most difficult cases from oda hospitals across di region.
Productivity ‘dey different different’
Oda trusts wey dey struggle also say dem don dey make progress on dia backlogs.
For March last year, Milton Keynes University Hospital predict say e go return to “sensible waiting times” within two years.
Since dat time, e don try different kain of ideas, including doing more robotic surgery and asking staff to work overtime to run extra clinics.
Recently, e also launch one new mobile operating theatre.
One tok tok pesin for di hospital say waiting times dey improve, come add say: “Teams across di hospital dey continually review waiting lists and dem dey work tirelessly to bring appointments forward wia e possible.”
Tackling di hospital backlog, wey dey cover some kain treatments like knee and hip operations, na one of goment major priority.
But e don fail to make any progress wey get head as e dey try to reduce di total number of pipo wey dey wait for treatment, wey don pass three million now, dis na higher dan e bin dey before Covid-19 pandemic.
Rory Deighton of NHS Confederation dey represent hospitals, im say most of di mata no dey for di control of individual hospitals and due to “wetin many of dem don take eyes see”.
Money to invest for new buildings and equipment dey different, while staff shortages and access to social care to help patients out of hospital “dey considerably different”.
“Dis dey impact how productive each trust fit dey,” Deighton tok.
‘Deliver improvement’
NHS England say since di pandemic e bin need to focus on tackling di very longest waits, of over 18 months.
Dem don make small progress wit am and dem dey take steps to reduce variation, including writing to patients wey don wait pass 40 weeks to offer dem treatment for oda hospitals.
Di worst-performing trusts bin receive extra support, wey go “deliver improvements”, one tok tok pesin add.
Di oda UK nations dey also miss dia targets to see patients wey need planned care.
BBC News analysis also show say ear, nose and throat (ENT) services na di specialists wey get di longest waits.
ENT don dey argue for long time now say dem need to do more for di community to stop so many patients wey dem dey refer go hospital wit simple problems like rhinitis and tinnitus, wey dey commonly cause ringing for ear.
Royal College of Surgeons of England President Tim Mitchell, imsef na ENT surgeon, say dem dey leave too many ENT patients “for limbo” and dem dey struggle in pain, wit reduced quality of life.
But im add: “No area of healthcare dey immune to di heavy challenges wey dey face NHS.
“E dey important say for di next election wey go soon happun, political parties go give detailed plan for how dem wan take fund and support di ongoing reform of di NHS properly.”
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