NHS Waiting List Rises to 7.33 Million as Year Waits Climb

The NHS waiting list in England rose to 7.33 million cases in July 2026, up around 56,000 on June's 7.27 million, according to referral to treatment figures NHS England published on 10 September. That is the highest the list has stood in nine months, since October 2025. Those cases represent roughly 6.21 million individual patients, some of whom are waiting for more than one treatment. The number waiting more than a year rose to 111,379, up from about 106,000 in June. Performance against the 18-week standard slipped to 65.3 per cent, down from 65.8 per cent the month before, and the median wait edged up to 12 weeks from 11.9. The list remains below the 7.39 million recorded in July 2025, so the year-on-year direction is still downward — but the monthly direction has reversed.

A Reversal After the Spring Milestone

In May, NHS England announced that the health service had hit its interim target of treating 65 per cent of patients within 18 weeks, with the list down to 7.11 million — at the time the lowest in three and a half years. July's figures keep performance just above that 65 per cent threshold, but the margin has narrowed and the backlog has grown for the month. The next interim milestone is 70 per cent by March 2027, on the way to the 92 per cent standard by 2029. Around 2.53 million patients on the list have now been waiting longer than 18 weeks.

What This Means for Patients

The 18-week mark matters legally, not just statistically. If you have waited longer than 18 weeks from referral without being given a treatment date, you can ask your Integrated Care Board to find you a faster provider. Separately, at the point your GP refers you, the NHS Constitution gives you the right to choose any hospital or NHS-commissioned independent provider holding a contract for that service. Fewer than one patient in ten uses that right. With 2.53 million people now past 18 weeks, the gap between the fastest and slowest hospital for the same operation is often the difference between waiting months and waiting more than a year — and you are entitled to know which is which before your referral is sent. Our guide to NHS Right to Choose explains how to ask.

How to Find a Shorter Wait

Enter your postcode and specialty to see every NHS hospital in your region ranked by current treatment waiting time, or compare orthopaedic waiting times, the largest single surgical backlog in England. The search is free and there is nothing to sign up for.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always speak to your GP or a qualified clinician.