Progress on longest NHS waits stalls as year-long waits rise by more than 11,000

The number of cases waiting more than a year for planned NHS treatment in England has risen by more than 11,000 since March 2026, reversing months of progress in reducing year-long waits, according to analysis by the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England).  

Between March and June 2026, the total number of cases where patients were waiting more than 52 weeks for planned NHS treatment in England increased by 11.98%, from 94,404 to 105,711. This means there were more than 11,307 additional cases where patients were waiting over a year for treatment. 

The increase follows ten consecutive months of falling 52-week waits, suggesting that progress in reducing the year-long waits has stalled. This trend was seen across every region of England and may reflect growing demand and additional pressure on NHS services during the early summer period. 

At the same time, 65.8% of patients were waiting no longer than 18 weeks for treatment in June 2026, against the government's target of 92% by March 2029. The total number of pathways where patients were waiting to start treatment remained stable at 7.3 million. 

The latest figures come as the Health and Social Care Secretary has highlighted the importance of improving the NHS's resilience to heatwaves and other seasonal pressures. Surgeons say that ensuring hospitals have modern, fit-for-purpose facilities and sufficient capacity will be critical to maintaining elective activity and preventing future disruption to patient care. 

The figures also come shortly after the government announced more than 350 additional resident doctor training posts in England as part of plans to expand postgraduate medical training capacity. 

Commenting on the figures, Mr Tim Lane, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), said:  

“While progress in reducing overall waiting times is encouraging, the NHS must not leave behind patients who have already spent more than a year waiting for treatment. 

“NHS staff have worked incredibly hard to bring waiting times down, often under immense pressure, and they deserve enormous credit for the progress that has been made. But today’s figures show that sustained improvement cannot be taken for granted.  

“Behind every one of these figures is a person whose life is on hold. Patients can be left living with pain, reduced mobility and worsening health, affecting their ability to work, care for their families and live independently. 

“The additional training posts announced this week by the government are a positive step. However, significant bottlenecks remain in surgical training, and we must ensure that expanding training places leads to more surgeons entering the workforce, so the NHS has the staff it needs to reduce waiting times and meet future demand. 

“The NHS needs the people, facilities and equipment to keep driving down waiting times. That means investing in surgical staff, modernising ageing NHS buildings and ensuring hospitals have the capacity to continue treating patients efficiently throughout the year. 

“That capacity will become increasingly important as the NHS responds to seasonal pressures. Recent heatwaves have highlighted the pressures that extreme weather can place on healthcare services and infrastructure. As the government considers how the NHS prepares for future summers, investment in fit-for-purpose facilities will be critical if we are to keep waiting times moving in the right direction.” 

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. Latest NHS England RTT data is available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2026-27/#Jun26 

2. On 10 August 2026, the NHS England announced more than 350 additional postgraduate medical training places would be made available in England for February 2027 starts. These form part of a first-year allocation of 1,000 additional places and a wider commitment to create up to 4,500 additional postgraduate training places over three years. This follows the agreement reached with the BMA over pay, working conditions, and career opportunities. 

3. NHS England's Referral to Treatment (RTT) statistics measure treatment pathways rather than individual patients. In this press release, the use of ‘patients’ refers to ‘patient pathways’. 

4. The Royal College of Surgeons of England provides world-class education, assessment, and development to 30,000 surgeons, dental professionals, and members of the wider surgical and dental care teams at all stages of their careers. Our vision is to see excellent surgical care for everyone. We do this by setting professional standards, facilitating research, and championing the best outcomes for patients.  

5. For more information, please contact the press office: telephone: 020 7869 6054; email: pressoffice@rcseng.ac.uk; out-of-hours media enquiries: 0207 869 6056.