Graham Kendall, Director of Digital Healthcare Council said:

“Today’s waiting list figures remind us of the scale of the challenge ahead and underline how important it is to support those millions of patients who are currently waiting. Typically, five times as many patients on the waiting list end up receiving their care through outpatients rather than being admitted to hospital. Digital healthcare providers are already helping many of those patients to receive care sooner, through ways that are more personalised and convenient. They are also pioneering approaches to make the most of existing capacity for those patients who need to be admitted. It’s vital we use every tool available to tackle the waiting list, look after people while they wait and follow-up effectively, which is why we need to make much more use of digital healthcare.”