New data reveals that the waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England increased for the second month in a row, with an estimated 7.37 million treatments waiting to be carried out by the end of August. This figure relates to 6.24 million patients and represents the highest numbers since October 2025.
Senior health leaders have described the situation as showing "ominous signs" of winter pressures already affecting the NHS in England. Professor Frankie Swords, NHS England's national medical director, stated that staff are observing early signs of pressure, with an increase in patients attending A&E with flu and other respiratory viruses compared to typical levels for this period.
Despite record levels of planned, elective care delivered over the summer, demand for services has also reached its highest ever. A record 4.7 million planned treatments, procedures, and appointments occurred across June, July, and August. However, both A&Es and ambulance services experienced a record number of patients in September.
The number of patients seen within four hours in A&Es last month fell to 74.4% from 75.0% in August. Additionally, 50,582 people waited over 12 hours in A&E departments from a decision to admit to actual admission in September, an increase from 44,951 in August.