PATIENTS were waiting an average of 14 weeks for routine treatment at the University Hospitals Dorset Trust (UHD) in January, figures show.

NHS England figures show the average waiting time for non-urgent elective operations or treatment at UHD was 14 weeks at the end of January – up from 13 weeks in December.

This was also more than the average 13-week wait a year previously.

There were 53,148 patients on the waiting list in January – up from 52,955 in December, and 44,601 in January 2021.

Of those, 2,775 had been waiting for longer than two years.

Nationally, 6.1 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of January.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid recently announced NHS reforms, which include paying for patients who have been waiting the longest to travel to less busy hospitals or private facilities for care.

But Siva Anandaciva, chief analyst at the King’s Fund health think tank, said these promises will "ring hollow if hospitals throughout England continue to flash red".

He added: "Staff shortages remain the rate-limiting factor in the Government’s ambition to reduce the backlog.

"Without a fully-funded workforce plan, key targets will continue to be missed and people will continue wait longer for the care they need."

Separate figures show 1.5 million patients in England were waiting for a key diagnostic test in January – a rise on 1.4 million in December.

At UHD 10,603 patients were waiting for one of 15 standard tests, such as an MRI scan, non-obstetric ultrasound or gastroscopy at this time.

Of them, 1,936 had been waiting for at least six weeks.

Other figures show just 72 per cent of cancer patients at UHD received treatment within two months of an urgent referral.

That was up from 70 per cent in December, but down from 79 per cent in January 2021 last year.

Though the NHS states 85 per cent of cancer patients urgently referred by a GP should start treatment within 62 days.

The Department of Health and Social Care said its plan to tackle the Covid-19 backlog is backed by a multi-billion pound investment over the next three years, and it will also publish a 10-Year Plan on cancer.

A spokeswoman added: “We will deliver new surgical hubs and at least 100 community diagnostic centres to help patients get the surgery they need and earlier access to tests – including for cancer – delivering an extra nine million scans, checks and procedures by 2025.”