Hancock warns about NHS backlog...

The NHS is facing the "biggest pressure in its history" from a backlog potentially twice as big as previously feared, Matt Hancock has warned.

On Thursday, the Health Secretary told hospitals to brace for a flood of up to 12.2 million people in need of elective procedures such as hip, knee and eye operations. This includes 5.1 million patients currently on waiting lists.

Health bosses believe there could be a further 7.1 million who stayed away during the Covid pandemic but who will come forward demanding treatment, Mr Hancock revealed.

He said that even with the NHS "running at 100 per cent", coping with this total would be the greatest challenge the service had yet encountered.