"With winter pressures already stretching hospitals, the NHS has little room to absorb a surge in demand."
- Brett Hill - Broadstone
The latest NHS data has revealed that its referral-to-treatment waiting list rose by approximately 10,000 people in one month, from 7.37 million in August 2026 to 7.38 million in September.
This marks the third consecutive rise month-on-month.
The waiting list has now grown by around 270,000 over the past six months, from 7.11 million in March 2026, and is at its highest level since October 2025’s 7.40 million.
In addition, it now stands at around 10,000 lower than a year ago, with September 2025 reporting a waiting list of 7.39 million.
This data follows last month’s survey by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RECM), which found that 90% of senior A&E doctors were concerned about the pressures on Emergency Departments over this year’s winter months.
It also comes two weeks after the Budget, during which an extra £190 million was announced with the intention of helping the NHS through winter.
"Today's figures are a stark reminder that the NHS waiting list is heading in the wrong direction just as winter pressures begin to bite," Brett Hill, head of health and protection at Broadstone, said.
"At 7.38 million, it has now risen for three months in a row and is up by around 270,000 since March."
"It's clear that more funding alone is not delivering the progress the government promised," he continued. "With winter pressures already stretching hospitals, the NHS has little room to absorb a surge in demand, and the progress we need on waiting lists risks stalling further.
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"The longer people wait for a diagnosis or treatment, the greater the risk that health issues develop into serious or chronic conditions, forcing many to take time off work or leave the workforce altogether. That is a direct hit to productivity and the public finances.
"The UK's traditional healthcare model is clearly under severe strain, and a new partnership between the public and private sector is needed.
"The Budget offered little to tackle waiting lists and nothing to encourage employers to play their part. The findings of the Keep Britain Working Review were a welcome first step, but we now need concrete incentives for employers to commit to long-term investment in workforce health.
"In the meantime, forward-thinking employers are already deploying preventative healthcare and early intervention strategies.
"Expanding access to PMI, health cash plans, regular health screenings and private GP services helps catch problems early and speed up recovery before they become chronic.
"We expect businesses to keep expanding access to private healthcare through innovative health and wellbeing schemes to tackle this growing health crisis."
