NHS waiting list edges up but fewer patients facing longest waits

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By Storm Newton, PA Media

The overall waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England has increased, although the number of patients facing the longest waits has fallen, NHS data shows.

The latest performance data from NHS England shows an estimated 7.37 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of June – up from 7.36 million treatments at the end of May.

The slight increase comes after the list fell for two consecutive months.

Health experts said the statistics show that the NHS remains under “relentless pressure”.

However, the proportion of patients facing the longest waits decreased in June.

Some 1,103 patients had been waiting more than 18 months to start routine treatment, down from 1,237 in May, and there were 10,517 patients who had been waiting more than 65 weeks, down from 11,522 the previous month.

This figure stood at 58,024 in June 2024.

Meanwhile, data on A&E wait times shows 76.4% of patients were seen within four hours last month, up from 75.5% in June.