NHS Waiting Lists Hit 7.4 Million Amid Record A&E Demand

Record numbers of patients attended A&E and used ambulance services in England in September, with worsening performance in waiting times. A total of 2.44 million patients attended A&E departments, and 806,707 ambulance incidents were recorded. The proportion of patients seen within four hours in A&Es fell to 74.4% last month, down from 75.0% in August. The number of people waiting more than 12 hours in A&E from decision to admit to admission also rose sharply, reaching 50,582 in September compared with 44,951 the previous month.

Emergency departments recorded worsening performance in September as data published on October 8, 2026, showed the scale of the strain. Frontline staff were already seeing signs of seasonal strain, with flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) already circulating. Bed occupancy remained critically high, with 94.9% of acute hospital beds for adults occupied on average in September, up from 94.3% in August.

Waiting lists continue to rise

The number of patients waiting for treatment increased again in August, reaching its highest level since October 2025. An estimated 7.37 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of August, relating to 6.24 million patients. This overall waiting list increased by 41,848 compared to July.

Analysis from the Health Foundation think-tank found that progress on reducing waits had stalled over the past year. Their research indicated referrals to the waiting list were increasing faster than the number of patients being treated. The government's target to treat 92% of patients within 18 weeks has not been met for a decade.

Government targets and challenges

Despite government investment and a settled strike dispute, the 18-week treatment target remains unlikely to be met by 2029. Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper leads the department facing this challenge. The government says it is investing in NHS buildings and equipment to increase productivity and cites disruption from now-settled strikes by resident doctors as a factor that affected care. However, independent analysis suggests the government is unlikely to achieve its 18-week waiting-time pledge by the end of the parliament in 2029.

NHS delivery and staff pressures

The NHS delivered record elective treatments this summer, but rising demand is increasing pressure on frontline staff. A record 4.7 million planned treatments, procedures and appointments were delivered across June, July and August. The exact figure was 4,738,824. These treatments covered 6.24 million patients. Despite this high output, rising demand was increasing pressure on NHS staff.

Leadership and system response

NHS leaders and health experts are responding to growing winter pressures with new data and calls for action. Professor Frankie Swords is NHS England's national medical director. Sir Ciarán Devane, chief executive of the NHS Alliance which represents hospitals, and Francesca Cavallaro of the Health Foundation have all commented on the data. Dr Vicky Price, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, warned of the rising emergency pressures. She said: "A 13% year-on-year rise in 12-hour emergency department waits as winter approaches should set alarm bells ringing."

Other data points show some areas of patient satisfaction holding steady. Three quarters of people contacting their GP said it was easy to do so, almost 9 in 10 people using pharmacy services said they were satisfied, and 8 in 10 people accessing community services rated their experience as good. However, an average of 13,647 adult patients per day in September were medically fit to be discharged but remained in hospital. Eligible people are being urged to get vaccinated now as flu and RSV begin to circulate.