National hospital waiting list numbers have reached over 819,000 for the first time. This includes a record 601,300 people now waiting to be seen at an outpatient clinic.
The figures for the end of July were published this evening by the National Treatment Purchase Fund. There are 80,283 patients waiting to be seen for day case or inpatient treatment.
The overall total of 819,037 compares with 802,300 at the end of June. While waiting lists were at over 700,000 before the arrival of Covid-19, it has contributed further to growing lists.
This is because procedures were postponed earlier in the emergency and fewer procedures are now possible as a result of strict precautions.