The NHS waiting list for planned hospital treatment in England has risen for the second consecutive month, reaching 7.40 million treatments at the end of July. This represents 6.25 million patients, up from 7.37 million treatments and 6.23 million patients in June, according to NHS England figures.
Long-wait patients continue to face extended delays, with 1,429 people waiting more than 18 months for routine treatment in July, up from 1,103 in June. The government has set an ambitious target to cut maximum wait times from 18 months to 18 weeks for NHS patients across England. Additionally, 11,950 patients had been waiting more than 65 weeks to start treatment, compared to 10,517 the previous month.
Cancer care shows mixed results
Cancer diagnosis performance remained above target, with 76.6% of patients urgently referred for suspected cancer receiving a diagnosis or having the disease ruled out within 28 days in July. This figure, down slightly from 76.8% in June, exceeds the current 75% target but falls short of the government's March 2026 goal of 80%.
GPs made a record 305,164 urgent cancer referrals in July, the highest for any calendar month and up from 279,390 in June. However, Cancer Research UK found that patients with cancer wait longer for diagnosis after urgent referral than those who have cancer ruled out - 53.9% versus 78.2% receiving results within 28 days.
Hospital pressures mount
Dr Hilary Williams from the Royal College of Physicians said the figures show nearly 36,000 patients "endured" waits of more than 12 hours from the decision to admit them to hospital to their actual admission, compared with 371 in August 2019. She warned that patients are "left waiting or receiving care in corridors, waiting rooms and other spaces not designed for care."
Experts raise winter concerns
The persistent waiting list growth has prompted warnings about the NHS's capacity ahead of winter pressures. Tim Gardner from the Health Foundation said: "The scale of the pressures being experienced during the summer is a cause for concern as the NHS prepares for winter."
NHS officials highlighted achievements despite challenges, with Professor Meghana Pandit noting record cancer patient care and the fastest urgent ambulance response times in over four years. Health Secretary Wes Streeting (Labour) said the government had "obliterated" its target of two million extra appointments, delivering over five million in five months.
Sources used: "NHS England", "Health Foundation", "Royal College of Physicians", "Cancer Research UK" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
