NHS waiting lists in England rise for second month amid winter warnings
Senior health leaders warn of growing winter pressures as NHS waiting lists in England increased for the second consecutive month at the end of August.
Waiting list numbers reach new highs
The estimated number of treatments waiting to be carried out reached 7.37 million at the end of August. This figure relates to 6.24 million patients and represents the highest count since October 2025. The rise occurs even though planned elective care levels were described as record-breaking over the summer months.
Emergency services face record demand
Both accident and emergency departments and ambulance services recorded a record number of patients during September. Professor Frankie Swords noted that staff are seeing more patients with flu and respiratory viruses than usual for this time of year. These early signs suggest winter pressures are already affecting the system despite recent progress in frontline care.
Reported by one outlet
Only one outlet has published this. Nothing here has been checked against a second report, so read it as that outlet's account and follow the link below for the original.
Reported by
1 independent outlet. Headline as published. Links open the original report.