The number of people waiting for NHS treatment in England has climbed once again, reaching 7.42 million in March, up by nearly 19,000 from February’s figure of 7.4 million.
This marks the first monthly increase since September 2023 and highlights the fragile progress in tackling the NHS waiting list backlog.
While the rise is smaller than the seasonal average of 68,000 for March (based on pre-COVID data), it nonetheless underscores the persistent pressure on the health service.
Before the pandemic, the waiting list stood at approximately 4.5 million. Though the figure had fallen by roughly 300,000 since its peak of 7.7 million last September, it still remains significantly above pre-COVID levels.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, National Medical Director for NHS England, acknowledged the strain on NHS staff, saying:
“The level of demand facing our frontline teams remains immense. In March alone, referrals spiked considerably, yet staff delivered 100,000 more treatments than the previous year. It’s encouraging to see more patients coming forward – and I would urge anyone with concerns to seek medical help without delay.”
Although over 1.5 million patients were treated in March, this figure is still slightly lower than in the same month two years ago.
Meanwhile, 1.8 million new cases were added to the list — up from last year’s 1.75 million but down from March 2023’s 1.9 million.
The data suggests that although pressures are mounting, the rate of increase is not unprecedented.
NHS England attributed the smaller-than-average rise to the additional capacity introduced by the government, enabling more treatments to be delivered and helping manage seasonal surges more effectively.
Commenting on the figures, Health Secretary Wes Streeting remarked: “We’ve been honest from the start – reversing the catastrophic NHS waiting list we inherited will take time. But since last July, we’ve seen genuine progress, including during the winter period. More appointments have been made available, long waits reduced, and faster diagnoses delivered.”
Despite these efforts, experts caution that the spring and summer months typically bring further increases, with a seasonal pattern of higher referrals post-winter.
Whether this year’s modest March rise is a sign of stabilisation or a pause before another surge remains to be seen.
