New figures have revealed that millions of people are still waiting for NHS treatment after joining a hospital waiting list. The data shows that 2.99 million of the 6.23 million patients are still waiting for care after being referred by a GP.
Sir Keir Starmer previously promised voters that 92% of NHS patients would be treated within 18 weeks of referral by 2029. However, in May, just 61% were treated on time, and the latest statistics show that one million patients have been waiting over 18 weeks without any care. The situation has been described by the Patients Association as “an invisible waiting list” crisis.
As reported by The Guardian, the chief executive of the association, Rachel Power, said: “If accurate, 3 million people are trapped in an invisible waiting list crisis, stuck without basic diagnostic tests of first appointments while their conditions worsen.
“The scale is staggering, as nearly half of all patients on a waiting list haven’t been seen by anyone. That’s not a healthcare service; that’s a breakdown.
“These aren’t just statistics. They’re people checking their phones daily for hospital calls that never come, unable to plan their lives while their symptoms deteriorate.”
The figures have been collected by MBI Health, which helps NHS trusts improve their treatment waiting times. Barry Mulholland, the firm’s founder and a former NHS manager, said the government is far away from reaching its target of treating people within 18 weeks.
He said: “There are so many people who have already waited so long without seeing anyone – 3 million unseen patients who haven’t had their first contact. Unless that’s dealt with, you will never achieve the target of seeing and treating patients within 18 weeks.
“From the Government’s point of view, the pledge to get back to 18 weeks by 2029 will be really hard to accomplish if this huge group of patients isn’t seen more quickly. We’ll never clear the waiting list if we don’t fix the point where patients enter the system, and long delays begin.”
Alison Bennett, a Liberal Democrat health spokesperson, described the figures as “harrowing”. She said it is the result of the NHS’s “mismanagement” for years.
“Behind every one of these numbers is a person in pain, anxious about their health, and desperately waiting for their first contact from a clinician,” she said.
“This isn’t a problem that appeared overnight; it’s the direct result of the Conservative Party mismanaging our NHS for years. It is unacceptable that millions of people are still being left in a state of limbo, while their conditions potentially worsen.”
According to the analysis, the areas with the largest number of unseen patients were ear, nose, and throat care, orthopaedics, eye care, gastroenterology, and gynaecology. The Department of Health and Social Care did not comment on the three million unseen patients.
A spokesperson said: “Thanks to this Government’s record investment, reforms and the hard work of NHS staff, we’ve cut the waiting list by over 260,000 since July 2024, which also fell for the first time in 17 years in April and May outside the pandemic. On top of this, we have also delivered 4.6m appointments – more than double the 2m we promised.
“This Government is delivering the fundamental reform needed to turn our NHS around, and our 10-year health plan will build on this progress, to ensure we meet our target that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks for treatment by March 2029.”