Waiting times for hip and knee replacements in England remain far higher than before the pandemic, reflecting decades of under-investment in NHS staff, beds and equipment, according to a study that underlines the task facing the new Labour government.
Other comparable countries have recovered far more quickly, with some at, or even above, pre-pandemic levels of treatment, the research from the Nuffield Trust think-tank found.
It suggested some of these systems had been more resilient to the shock of Covid, not simply because of higher staff and bed numbers, but due to much stronger community support, allowing patients to leave hospital to continue their recovery at home.