Covid disruption to NHS in England wreaks havoc with surgery backlog

Exclusive: record infection rates are making targets for treating the 6m people on waiting lists look less achievable

Operations are being cancelled across England as Covid causes major disruption" inside the NHS, the country's top surgeon has said, as doctors and health leaders say the government's backlog targets look increasingly unachievable.

Six million people are on the waiting list for NHS hospital care, including more than 23,000 who have waited more than two years. The NHS in England is due to publish its latest waiting times data on Thursday.