NHS waiting lists hit new record high eight months after Rishi Sunak pledged to cut them

NHS waiting lists have hit a new record high despite a pledge by Rishi Sunak to bring them down.

An estimated 7.6 million people were waiting to start routine hospital treatment at the end of June – up from 7.5 million in May, NHS England said.

The figure is the highest number since comparable records began in August 2007.

The prime minister made cutting waiting lists one of his priorities for 2023, pledging in January that "lists will fall and people will get the care they need more quickly".

But far from cutting waits, lists are still growing to a level never seen before, the latest numbers suggest.

Last week, Mr Sunak blamed industrial action by doctors for his failure to close the gap.

The latest backlog figures come as junior doctors are set to walk out again for their latest four-day strike on Friday, with the stoppage ending on Tuesday morning.

Doctors have had their real wages cut in recent years and are asking for their salaries to be restored, in part to stem a recruitment and retention crisis in the health service. The government says the demand is unaffordable.

Labour has accused the government of making “excuses” for failing to tackle waiting lists by blaming doctors.

Health think tanks including the King’s Fund and Health Foundation, as well as groups such as NHS Providers, which represents hospitals, have consistently said the health service needs more funding to make improvements.

The government and NHS England have set a target to eliminate all waits of more than a year by March 2025.

By this narrower metric, there has been slight progress, with the number of people waiting more than a year for treatment down from 385,022 at the end of May to 383,083 people at the end of June.

But at the current rate of change, this target will not be reached.

An even narrower target, to eliminate waits of 18 months or more for NHS treatment, was missed in April this year. A total 7,177 were waiting longer than 18 months in June 2023, down from 11,446 at the end of May.

Last week, health minister Maria Caulfield said the government expected waiting times to go up before they went down, telling LBC radio that the numbers would “peak in the next few months”.

The government has said it will draft in spare capacity from the private sector to try and cut waiting lists, including the use of eight new privately-run diagnostic sectors.

Ministers also say they are changing the rules to make it easier for the NHS to buy in private services, by altering the so-called “provider selection regime”.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, a Labour shadow health minister, said the government had no plan to turn the situation around.

“One in eight people are now waiting for NHS treatment, more than ever before. Patients are waiting in pain and discomfort for months or even years,” she said.

“Rishi Sunak has no plan to turn this around, he only offers excuses. He blames hard-working doctors and nurses, yet he hasn’t lifted a finger to stop the strikes.

“The last Labour government delivered the shortest waiting lists and highest patient satisfaction in history. The next Labour government will provide the staff and reform the NHS needs, so it is there for us when we need it once again.”