NHS Waiting Times Crisis: 7.6 Million People Waiting for Treatment — Why It's Broken and How to Fix It

The NHS is in crisis. 7.6 million people are waiting for hospital treatment (June 2024), up from 4.4 million before the pandemic (February 2020). 300,000+ people have been waiting over 1 year, and some have been waiting over 2 years. A&E departments are overwhelmed, with 30,000+ people per month waiting over 12 hours on trolleys. GP appointments are impossible to get, with patients waiting weeks for a 10-minute phone call. The NHS is understaffed, underfunded, and collapsing under the weight of an ageing population, chronic underfunding, and the pandemic backlog. Here is everything you need to know about the NHS waiting times crisis — why it is happening, what the government is doing, and how to get treatment faster.

The Numbers

Hospital waiting lists

7.6 million people are waiting for NHS hospital treatment in England (June 2024), up from 4.4 million in February 2020 (pre-pandemic).

This includes:

• Elective surgery (hip replacements, knee replacements, cataract surgery, hernia repair)
• Diagnostic tests (MRI scans, CT scans, endoscopies)
• Outpatient appointments (consultations with specialists)

300,000+ people have been waiting over 1 year (the NHS target is 18 weeks).

Waiting times by specialty (median wait, June 2024):

• Orthopaedics (bones, joints): 22 weeks
• Ear, nose, and throat: 20 weeks
• Ophthalmology (eyes): 18 weeks
• Urology: 16 weeks
• General surgery: 14 weeks

The 18-week target

The NHS target is 92% of patients treated within 18 weeks of GP referral. But only 60% are meeting this target (June 2024), the worst performance on record.

Before the pandemic (February 2020), 84% of patients were treated within 18 weeks. The target has not been met since 2016.

A&E waits

A&E departments are overwhelmed:

• 72% of patients seen within 4 hours (target: 95%)
• 30,000+ people per month wait over 12 hours on trolleys (target: 0)
• 500+ people per month wait over 24 hours (target: 0)

The 4-hour target has not been met since 2015.

Ambulance waits

Ambulance response times have soared:

• Category 1 (life-threatening, e.g., cardiac arrest): 10 minutes (target: 7 minutes)
• Category 2 (emergency, e.g., stroke, heart attack): 50 minutes (target: 18 minutes)
• Category 3 (urgent, e.g., broken bones): 3 hours (target: 2 hours)

Patients are dying while waiting for ambulances.

GP appointments

GP appointments are impossible to get:

• 50% of patients wait over 2 weeks for a GP appointment
• 30% of patients cannot get an appointment at all
• 70% of appointments are now phone or video calls (not face-to-face)

The number of GPs has fallen by 2,000 since 2015, despite the population growing by 3 million.

Cancer waits

Cancer patients are waiting longer for diagnosis and treatment:

• 62% of patients start treatment within 62 days of urgent GP referral (target: 85%)
• 75% of patients see a specialist within 2 weeks of urgent GP referral (target: 93%)

Delays in cancer treatment reduce survival rates.

Why Is This Happening?

1. The pandemic backlog

The NHS cancelled millions of elective surgeries during the pandemic (2020–2021) to focus on COVID-19 patients. This created a backlog that has not been cleared.

The backlog is growing because:

• Demand has returned to pre-pandemic levels (people need hip replacements, cataract surgery, etc.)
• But the NHS has not increased capacity (same number of staff, same number of operating theatres)

2. Staff shortages

The NHS has 110,000 staff vacancies (8% of the workforce), including:

• 40,000 nurses
• 10,000 doctors
• 15,000 support staff

Staff shortages are caused by:

• Burnout — NHS staff are exhausted after the pandemic and are leaving in record numbers
• Low pay — NHS pay has fallen 20% in real terms since 2010 (after inflation)
• Brexit — 30,000+ EU staff left the NHS after Brexit (nurses, doctors, care workers)

The NHS is recruiting staff from abroad (India, Philippines, Nigeria), but this is controversial (it drains developing countries of healthcare workers) and slow.

3. Underfunding

NHS funding has grown by 1.5% per year (real terms) since 2010, far below the 4% per year needed to keep up with demand (ageing population, new treatments, rising costs).

The NHS budget is £165 billion per year (2024–25), but experts say it needs £200 billion to clear backlogs and meet demand.

4. Ageing population

The UK population is ageing — 20% of people are over 65 (up from 15% in 2000), and older people need more healthcare (hip replacements, cancer treatment, chronic disease management).

The NHS was designed for a younger population and is struggling to cope.

5. Social care crisis

Social care (care for elderly and disabled people in their homes or care homes) is in crisis, with 150,000 people stuck in hospital because there is no social care available to discharge them to.

This blocks hospital beds, causing A&E waits and cancelled surgeries.

Social care is underfunded (£25 billion per year vs £165 billion for the NHS) and understaffed (165,000 vacancies).

6. Inefficiency

The NHS is inefficient:

• Too hospital-centric — the NHS spends 60% of its budget on hospitals, when more care should be delivered in the community (GPs, pharmacies, home care)
• Too many managers — the NHS has 40,000 managers (though this is a myth — the NHS has fewer managers per staff than most large organisations)
• Poor IT systems — the NHS uses outdated IT systems that do not talk to each other, causing delays and errors

What the Government Is Doing

The Labour government (elected July 2024) has pledged to:

• £20 billion extra funding over 5 years
• 40,000 more appointments per week (evenings and weekends)
• Recruit 8,500 more GPs and 10,000 more nurses
• Clear the backlog by 2029

But experts say this is not enough. The NHS needs:

• £50 billion to clear backlogs
• 110,000 more staff (to fill vacancies)
• Major reforms (more GPs, more community care, less hospital-centric)

Without this, waiting lists will continue to grow.

How to Get Treatment Faster

1. Ask for any hospital

You have the right to be referred to any hospital in England (not just your local one). Some hospitals have shorter waits than others.

Check waiting times at nhs.uk/service-search and ask your GP to refer you to a hospital with shorter waits.

2. Ask for the cancellation list

Ask to be put on the cancellation list — you may get an earlier appointment if someone cancels. You must be available at short notice (24–48 hours).

3. Go private for diagnostics

Consider going private for diagnostics (MRI scans, CT scans, blood tests) then returning to the NHS for treatment. This can speed up diagnosis and get you on the NHS waiting list sooner.

Private diagnostics cost £200–£500 (MRI scan £400, CT scan £300, blood tests £100).

4. Complain

If you have waited over 18 weeks, complain to the hospital and your MP. The NHS is supposed to treat 92% of patients within 18 weeks, and you have the right to complain if this is not met.

5. Go private (if you can afford it)

Private treatment costs £3,000–£10,000 for most procedures:

• Hip replacement: £12,000
• Knee replacement: £11,000
• Cataract surgery: £3,000
• Hernia repair: £4,000

Private health insurance costs £1,000–£3,000 per year, but it does not cover pre-existing conditions.

Most people cannot afford private, and the NHS is supposed to be free at the point of use. But if you can afford it, private treatment is faster (weeks vs months/years).

The Future of the NHS

The NHS is at a crossroads. Without major reform and investment, it will collapse. The options are:

1. More funding

Increase NHS funding to £200 billion per year (from £165 billion) to clear backlogs and meet demand. This requires higher taxes or cuts to other spending.

2. Structural reform

Reform the NHS to be less hospital-centric and more focused on community care (GPs, pharmacies, home care). This is cheaper and more effective for most conditions.

3. Social care reform

Fix the social care crisis by increasing funding to £40 billion per year (from £25 billion) and recruiting 165,000 more care workers. This would free up hospital beds and reduce A&E waits.

4. Charge for some services

Introduce charges for some NHS services (e.g., GP appointments £10, A&E visits £20) to reduce demand and raise revenue. This is controversial and opposed by most people.

5. Privatisation

Increase private sector involvement in the NHS (private hospitals, private GPs). This is controversial and opposed by most people, who see the NHS as a public service that should be free at the point of use.

The Bottom Line

7.6 million people are waiting for NHS hospital treatment (June 2024), up from 4.4 million pre-pandemic (Feb 2020), with 300,000+ waiting over 1 year. The NHS target is 92% of patients treated within 18 weeks, but only 60% are meeting this target (June 2024), the worst performance on record. A&E waits have soared: only 72% of patients seen within 4 hours (target 95%), with 30,000+ people per month waiting over 12 hours on trolleys. The NHS has 110,000 staff vacancies (8% of workforce), including 40,000 nurses and 10,000 doctors, due to burnout, low pay, and Brexit. The government has pledged £20 billion extra funding and 40,000 more appointments per week, but experts say the NHS needs £50 billion to clear backlogs. The NHS is in crisis, and without major reform and investment, it will collapse. Waiting lists are growing, staff are leaving, and patients are suffering. The NHS is supposed to be free at the point of use, but millions are waiting months or years for treatment, and some are dying while waiting. The government must act now — more funding, more staff, more GPs, more community care, and social care reform. The NHS is a national treasure, but it is broken, and it needs fixing urgently.