An NHS director has apologised to anyone in Suffolk still waiting for treatment, as more people are stuck on waiting lists in the UK than ever before.

More than 120,000 people in Suffolk and north east Essex – and more than 7.5million in the UK - were waiting to start treatment at the end of June, according to NHS performance figures.

The release comes the day before the latest four-day junior doctors strike, taking place between Friday, August 11 and Tuesday, August 15.

There were 87,206 at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) and 33,822 at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (WSFT) waiting to start treatment at the end of June.

There is also a longer wait for vital cancer referrals. The NHS aims to have 93% of patients seen by a cancer specialist within two weeks of being referred urgently by their GP.

In June, the proportion of patients in June who were seen within two weeks was 73.5% at WSFT, and 71.5% at ESNEFT.

A director at ESNEFT, which runs Colchester and Ipswich hospitals, has apologised to anyone still having to wait for treatment.

Karen Lough, director of elective care at ESNEFT, said: “We are committed to seeing all our patients as quickly as possible and our teams are working incredibly hard to reduce waiting times.

“Our services continue to be in high demand and the recent industrial action has meant we have had to reschedule a number of clinic appointments and operations. However, despite these factors, we are seeing the number of our longest waiting patients reducing month on month.

“By running additional clinics, theatre and procedure lists at weekends and evenings we are able to see more patients as quickly as possible. We do also ask that patients help us by letting us know if they no longer want their appointment or operation. This will mean we are able to offer that to someone else.

“It is a priority for us to make sure those with longer waits are seen at the earliest opportunity, prioritising patients based on their clinical need, which is in line with national guidance for all NHS trusts and we apologise to anyone who is having to wait for their treatment.”

Matt Keeling, deputy chief operating officer for West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, said: “While overall waiting times have dropped in recent months and we are making progress on treating our longest waiting patients, we are seeing an ever increasing demand for our services and we continue to deal with the impact of ongoing industrial action.

“We know that waiting long periods of time for treatment can be deeply worrying and we are working very hard to reduce waiting times.

“I would like to reassure our patients that we are committed to ensuring they get the treatment they need as quickly as possible, and we apologise to every patient that experiences a delay in their care.”