TENS of thousands of patients were waiting for routine treatment at Barnsley Hospital in March, new figures show.

NHS England figures show 24,309 patients were waiting for non-urgent elective operations or treatment at the end of March - up from 22,767 in February and 22,247 in March 2024.

Of those, 103 had been waiting for longer than a year.

The median waiting time from referral to treatment at Barnsley Hospital was ten weeks at the end of March - down from 11 weeks the month before.

A total of 4,973 patients were waiting for one of 11 standard tests, such as an MRI scan, non-obstetric ultrasound or gastroscopy at this time.

Of them, 196 - or four per cent - had been waiting for at least six weeks.

Other NHS England figures show 78 out of 114 cancer patients urgently referred to Barnsley Hospital in March received treatment within two months of their referral.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Since day one, we have been clear it will take time to reverse the disastrous waiting list we inherited.

“But since July, real progress has been made - including over winter.

“We have overseen a massive increase in appointments available to meet rising demand, reduced long waits and helped people get diagnosed quicker.

“Our Plan for Change will continue to put patients first as we work to end the misery felt by millions up and down the country who have been denied the care they need for too long.”