• New research from Labour today shows the scale of the waiting list backlog across England, where patients are routinely waiting over 18 weeks for treatment.
• The research also reveals over 13,000 children have been waiting more than a year for paediatric services, and 155 people have been waiting for a year for mental health support.
• Calls for the NHS to get the right funding in the upcoming comprehensive spending review to tackle the immediate and long term challenges it faces.

Responding to new research from Labour on "record waits", the chief executive of NHS Providers, Chris Hopson, said:

"There is overwhelming evidence that despite working at full pelt to recover care backlogs, the NHS is under huge pressure.

"With mental health services alone, we know around 1.6 million people are officially waiting for care, and that private estimates from the sector suggest around 8 million more are not meeting the threshold to access the services needed to help them.

"Some trusts are telling us that it's 'the busiest it has ever been', and they are dealing with a combination of difficult pressures including backlogs, urgent and emergency care demand and staff absences.

"The NHS needs to be resourced properly to tackle both immediate and long-term challenges, which is why it's crucial the NHS gets the funding it needs for the second half of this financial year and in the upcoming comprehensive spending review."