The figures revealed that the waiting list for routine hospital treatment has risen for the third month in a row, while there is now an estimated 7.62 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of June, relating to 6.39 million patients – up slightly from 7.60 million treatments and 6.37 million patients at the end of May.
Meanwhile, 75.2% of patients were admitted, transferred or discharged from A&E departments within four hours in July, up from 74.6% in June and up on the 74.0% from July 2023. There were also 2.32 million attendances at A&Es across England in July and 552,468 emergency admissions that month.
The figures drew comment from a number of health bodies. Health think tank the Kings Fund highlighted the challenges facing the NHS as winter approaches, and suggested things may get worse before they getter.
Describing the coming months as a ‘rocky path’, Danielle Jefferies, King’s Fund Senior Analyst said, ‘These figures are a stark reminder that the pressure in the NHS is not going away, as it continues to grapple with ongoing industrial action, tight public finances, and a rise in the number of beds occupied by patients with Covid-19.
‘This is worrying because the NHS should be working now to prepare for winter, but instead providers are using their time and money to tackle immediate pressures. The new government will need to be clear on how it will support the NHS and patients going into a difficult winter, and will face difficult decisions on how to recover NHS performance.
‘Behind each of these missed targets is a patient waiting too long for the care they need,” Jefferies continued. “The independent review of the state of the NHS by Lord Darzi is welcome, but we must be realistic that it may take years before the NHS once again meets its waiting time targets.
‘Additionally, while there is a proposal put forth to end junior doctor strikes, this comes at the same time as GPs voting to begin collective action, which will add to existing pressures. The decision by the government to delay social care reform and parts of the new hospital programme will also have an impact on the ability of the health and care system to deliver better access to patients and service users.
‘Many will share the government’s ambition to improve care for patients. But there is clearly a very rocky path ahead before we see the NHS back on its feet.’
Meanwhile, the NHS Confederation said that while recognised the hard work of all in the service, “With waiting lists rising in June to 7.62 million, these figures are a stark reminder that a decade of underinvestment in estates, workforce and social care, coupled with the pandemic, and more than a year of industrial action has taken its toll on NHS performance.”
“This is all taking place as we approach the final stretch of summer, a time where leaders should be preparing for the challenging winter months ahead.
