Nearly 500 patients have now been waiting for treatment for more than a year at hospitals across Herts, including the Lister.

The latest data shows there has been a sharp increase in hospital waiting times since March this year – reflecting the wider impact of Covid-19 on the county's healthcare services.

National guidance says that patients should expect to receive treatment within 18 weeks of their referral to hospital by a GP.

There are now 483 patients who have been waiting for more than a year in the area which East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust operates.

This covers the trust's Lister Hospital in Stevenage, as well as Hertford County Hospital and QEII hospitals in Welwyn, as well as the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre in north west London - which many cancer patients in and around Hitchin are referred to.

According to the data – presented to a meeting of the Trust's board last Wednesday – there are currently 45,845 patients waiting for treatment.

Of those 24,403 – that's 53 per cent – have already been waiting for longer than the 18-week 'referral to treatment' target, with 2097 having waited more than 40 weeks.

Just 21,442 – or 46.77 per cent – of patients on the waiting list have been waiting for less than 18 weeks.

And that's a significant change from February, when 81.8 per cent of patients had been waiting for less than 18 weeks.

Nationally, NHS targets say 92 per cent of patients should be treated within 18 weeks of referral to hospital.

But according to data reported to the Trust board, the increase in the number of patients waiting for more than 18 weeks in broadly in line with national trends.

A spokesperson for East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust said: "While our urgent care, including cancer treatment, has continued throughout the pandemic, there has been a significant impact on waiting times for planned procedures and appointments across the NHS, both locally and nationally.

"Our staff are working incredibly hard to restart services safely, and we are grateful for our patients' understanding as we prioritise those with the most urgent need.

"The extra safety and infection control measures we need to have in place mean that it will take some time to get our services back to normal, but we are running additional clinics across weekdays and weekends, utilising video consultations, and working in partnership with the independent sector so that we can see and treat as many patients as possible.

"We are putting robust plans in place that will allow activity levels to return to levels similar to those seen prior to Cover, in line with national expectations, over the coming months."