THE NHS waiting list has hit another record high of nearly 7.7million people.
An estimated 7.68 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of July, up from 7.57 million in June, NHS England said.
PAThe NHS waiting list has hit another record high of nearly 7.7million people in England[/caption]
It is the highest number since records began in August 2007.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has 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”.
Some 7,289 people in England are estimated to have been waiting more than 18 months to start routine hospital treatment at the end of July, up from 7,177 at the end of June.
The Government and NHS England set the ambition of eliminating all waits of more than 18 months by April this year, excluding exceptionally complex cases or patients who choose to wait longer.
A total of 389,952 people in England had been waiting more than 52 weeks to start routine hospital treatment at the end of July, up from 383,083 at the end of June.
The Government and NHS England have set the ambition of eliminating all waits of more than a year by March 2025.