The NHS England waiting list for treatment halted its summer rises with a 15,000 dip in September.
Latest data from the health service showed there were 7.39 million people on the waiting list for NHS treatment in England at the end of September.
This was down by 15,845 from 7.41 million at the end of August following a series of increases during the summer after dropping to 7.36 million in May – the lowest level since March 2023.
The September figure was also down 182,106 since a year earlier but remains 2.82 million higher than the pre-pandemic total of 4.57 million in September 2019.
Earlier this month chancellor Rachel Reeves put the NHS front and centre as one of her and the nation’s priorities in a pre-Budget speech ahead of the fiscal event later this month.
Data was also published last month that showed private healthcare providers had delivered almost half a million more appointments, tests and operations for NHS patients in the year to August than in the previous financial year.
‘Tall order’
Health Foundation assistant director of policy Tim Gardner said the figures presented a challenging outlook for the NHS, particularly as it heads into what NHS leaders have warned is likely to be one of the toughest winters the health service has faced.
“While figures for September show a slight decrease in the elective waiting list to 7.39 million, and a welcome reduction in waiting times, restoring the 18-week standard by the end of this parliament remains a tall order,” he said.
“Making sure the health service has what it needs to deliver on the government’s flagship pledge of cutting NHS waiting lists is clearly on the chancellor’s mind, as she warns of difficult decisions to come at this month’s Budget.
“But turning political promises into better patient care will take a system-wide approach to recovery that ensures sufficient capital investment, improvements in productivity and makes good on the government’s promise to prioritise prevention.”
Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) chief executive David Hare said: “While a small drop in NHS waiting lists is of course positive, today’s figures make clear that significantly more progress needs to be made if the NHS is to reduce waiting lists by one million each year – something which NHS England itself has said is required if it is to meet the 18-week target once again by the end of this Parliament.
“Achieving this will be no mean feat but can absolutely be done if the NHS makes full use of all available capacity in the health system, including in the independent health sector.”
Broadstone head of heath and protection Brett Hill added: “While there was a small dip in September the overall trend is essentially flat, with NHS the waiting list largely unchanged for the past 6 months at circa 7.4 million.
“Despite a boost in funding in the October 2024 budget, progress to cut the backlog has stalled, overstretched services are still struggling to meet demand, and further industrial action by resident doctors is imminent.”