[MagnumOpus]

Sure, and the excess deaths above help a lot in doing that.

Still, while waiting for patients to die is an cheap way to shorten backlogs, it does leave not instill confidence…

[benj111]

Except people don't tend to die from needing a hip replacement or other quality of life surgeries. The urgent things tend to get done first.

[origin_path]

They die of old age instead? Not really better. The point of the NHS is to treat people, if you have to wait three years for treatment that's the same thing as collapse, it's not really different from the user's perspective.

[benj111]

Are you suggesting the 3 year backlog has been cleared in 6 months just from people dying of old age?

I agree a 3 year wait is unacceptable, but 2 years of that was covid. Covid has largely passed so they are now getting through the backlog.