NHS Backlog Swells to 6.21 Million Patients

England's hospital backlog climbed again in July, after a summer NHS England describes as the busiest in its history.

The NHS waiting list for pre-planned hospital treatment in England rose to an estimated 7.33 million treatments at the end of July, relating to 6.21 million patients — the highest level in nine months.

That is up from 7.27 million treatments and 6.15 million patients at the end of June, according to new NHS England figures.

The totals are the highest since October 2025, when the list stood at 7.40 million treatments and 6.24 million patients.

Health Secretary Yvette Cooper warned that "extreme demand" on the service is "no longer confined to winter."

The Numbers

A&E attendances in June, July and August reached nearly 7.3 million — the highest ever recorded over a summer period, and almost one million more than the 6.4 million logged over the same months in 2022.

Ambulances handled a record 2.4 million callouts between June and August.

An estimated 111,379 people had waited more than a year to start routine treatment at the end of July, up from 105,711 at the end of June.

An estimated 65.4 percent of patients began hospital treatment within 18 weeks of referral in July, down from 65.8 percent in June but above the 65 percent target the government and NHS England set for March of this year.

An average of 2,973 patients a day received corridor care in England in August — 2,296 of them in A&E departments and 677 in other hospital areas.