The NHS waiting list England data rose for the second month in a row in August, reaching 7.37 million treatments at the end of the month. That total related to 6.24 million patients, while the NHS in England had just recorded its busiest September on record and staff were already reporting early signs of winter pressure.
Frankie Swords, the NHS England national medical director, said: “Staff are already seeing the ominous early signs of pressure, with more patients coming to A&E with flu and other respiratory viruses than usual for this time of year, and unfortunately many people are still waiting longer than we would like them to.” The rise came after a record 4.7 million planned treatments, procedures and appointments across June, July and August.
Frankie Swords on A&E pressure
Swords tied the pressure to A&E demand, where more patients, including children, were arriving with flu and other respiratory viruses. The comment came as the NHS in England reported a record number of patients for September in A&E services and a record number for ambulance services too.
That leaves the summer numbers with a clear contradiction. The NHS in England delivered record planned care over the summer, yet the waiting list still rose, and winter pressure was already building before the colder months were fully under way.
Sir Ciarán Devane and demand
Sir Ciarán Devane, chief executive of the NHS Alliance, said: “The NHS continues to respond to record demand for care, but the relentless growth in demand for services is putting NHS staff under real pressure.” The Health Foundation added that progress on cutting waiting times had stalled over the past year, while referrals onto the waiting list were rising much faster than the number of patients being treated.
Francesca Cavallaro said: “Thanks to the hard work of staff, the NHS has made progress in bringing down waiting times, but a rise in referrals mean that the service is having to run faster just to stand still and the prospects of meeting the government's pledge are receding.”
Health Foundation pledge
Cavallaro also said: “Andy Burnham's government have yet to set out whether they will give the 18-week target the same priority as it had under Keir Starmer, but our analysis shows the pledge is becoming increasingly hard to deliver.” The NHS Alliance said the government in England is not going to achieve its manifesto promise of hitting the 18-week hospital waiting time target by the end of the parliament in 2029, and the target has not been hit for a decade.
For patients, the immediate picture is a large backlog measured in both treatments and people, with pressure spreading from routine care into A&E. The question left by the latest figures is whether the NHS can cut the waiting list fast enough to get closer to the 92% within 18 weeks target by 2029.
