By NHS waiting list for treatments in England hits record high of more than 5.45 million
Data published today shows that a record number of patients in the UK are waiting for treatment from the NHS.
According to the statistics, there are currently 5.45 million people waiting for procedures – the highest the number has been since records began in August 2007.
This figure is up from 5.3 million people in May.
The data also shows that 2.16 million people were treated in A&E departments in July compared with 2.15 million in June.
Ambulances across England answered more than a million calls in July – and waiting times were the longest since a new way of logging calls was introduced in 2017.
The June figures show a mixed picture – with the numbers waiting more than 18 weeks or a year both down, but a rise in those waiting more than two years.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the government would look at “what more we need to do” for the NHS.
He said that waiting lists would rise as people came back to the NHS for healthcare, after not doing so during periods of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Javid said: “We estimate there’s probably some seven million people that ordinarily would have come forward to the NHS that stayed away, understandably, during the height of the pandemic.
“We want those people to come back. I don’t know how many will come back but, even if half of them came to the NHS – and can I just stress I really want people that need to be seen by the NHS to know the NHS is there for them and they should come forward – but as they do I think waiting lists will rise because there will be a huge increase in demand.”
