there's more evidence of the impact dealing with the pandemic has had on the nhs�*s ability to meet its other obligations. data from nhs england shows that more than five million people were waiting for hospital treatment at the end of april — that's the highest since records began in 2007. our health editor, hugh pym, hears from patients who've been affected — and what's being done to ease the problem. the pain isjust unbearable, so i'm just eating paracetamol at the moment. peter has had to accept he may have to live with intense pain in his hip for more than a year, that is the time doctors have warned he will have to wait to get an operation for a hip replacement and he feels that is not fair. you work hard and you pay your taxes and national insurance. i feel really let down that we haven't got something in place to cope with this. new research shows the worst orthopaedic waiting lists in april in england were at castle point in rochford with 507 per 100,000 population waiting more than a year, followed by southend, norfolk and waveney and blackpool. the best were in south london with just 16 and surrey heartlands.