NHS waiting lists grow to record 7.6 million, in new blow to Rishi Sunak’s five pledges

The number of people on the NHS waiting list has soared to 7.6m, the highest-ever number.

The figures, for the end of June, are an increase from the 7.47 million people waiting to start routine hospital treatment reported last month.

They represent a major blow to Rishi Sunak’s key pledge to cut waiting lists before the next election.

Last month Mr Sunak claimed NHS strikes over the past several months had made it “more challenging” to bring down waiting list numbers.

However unions insisted the figures was already high due to the Covid pandemic, staff shortages and long-term backlog in the NHS.

Junior doctors are to stage the latest in their series of walkouts, striking for four days from this Friday.

Among the 7.6 million, in 383,083 cases the patient was waiting more than 52 weeks, in 97,275 cases they were waiting more than 65 weeks, in 7,177 cases they were waiting more than 78 weeks, and in 314 cases they were waiting more than 104 weeks.

Ministers have pledged to eliminate all waits for routine hospital treatment of more than a year by March 2025.