This disruption meant tens of thousands of planned operations and other non-Covid treatments were put on ice, adding to the enormous backlog of elective surgeries that we now see. The number of people admitted for routine treatment in January was down 54 percent compared with January 2020.
Tracey Loftis, from the charity Versus Arthritis, said cancelled operations and long waits meant some patients were losing their quality of life.
She said: We have heard from people who have lost jobs, are unable to care for relatives and are seeking help for depression because of the debilitating pain they are in.
The data also shows that 171,231 urgent cancer referrals were made by GPs in January - an 11 percent drop on the 191,852 made in January 2020.
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