NHS waiting list increases for first time in seven months

Published

3 months ago

May 15, 2025

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The number of appointments for patients waiting for NHS treatments in England increased by nearly 19,000, to 7.42 million in March up from 7.4 million in February.

While the increase has not undone all recent progress, the path to reducing the waiting list has been slow and any gains are fragile, as today’s figures show.

The waiting list had been showing gradual but steady decreases since last September but has now increased for the first time since then.

Before COVID, the waiting list was at around 4.5 million appointments, and it peaked at 7.7 million in September 2023.

Since then, the waiting list has decreased by around 300,000 from its peak, but remains well above pre-pandemic levels.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England’s National Medical Director, said that the scale of demand on frontline NHS teams is “enormous” as they deal with the challenges of the backlog, while also keeping up with hundreds of thousands of new patients that need care:

“In March, we saw a particularly sharp rise in referrals – yet staff still managed to deliver more for patients with 100,000 more treatments delivered…

“It is a good thing that more people are coming forward for care – and I would urge anyone who has health concerns to come forward and get checked out as soon as they can,” he said.

While it’s true that more appointments were delivered than in the same month last year, the 1.5 million taken off the waiting list is not a historically high figure and is in fact around 2,000 fewer than in the same month two years ago.

Similarly, the 1.8 million new appointments added to the waiting list, while larger than the 1.75 million new appointments a year ago, is fewer than the 1.9 million added in March 2023, and not exceptional compared to other recent comparable months.

Rising demand for services is a consistent trend and will continue to be a challenge for the NHS and Keir Starmer’s government, who have pledged to bring the waiting list down.

There are generally seasonal trends in the waiting list, which does typically tend to decrease over winter and increase into the spring and in to summer.

According to NHS England, the reason that the waiting list increases every spring is that more people come forward for treatment after the winter.

On average, it’s gone up in March by an average of 68,000 treatments, based on the last ten years of data excluding those during COVID – so this year’s increase of around 19,000 from February to March is below that average.

NHS England say that the extra activity the government has delivered this year could be the reason underlying this smaller increase.

It remains to be seen to whether the wait list will continue to increase into the summer as usual, and to what extent the overall impact of this seasonal rush will be mitigated.

Commenting on the figures, Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting said:

“Since day one, we have been clear it will take time to reverse the disastrous waiting list we inherited. But since July, real progress has been made – including over winter. We have overseen a massive increase in appointments available to meet rising demand, reduced long waits and helped people get diagnosed quicker.”

The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.

UK

Mosquito bite warning after rise in chikungunya cases in travellers returning to UK

Published

4 hours ago

August 14, 2025

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Mosquito bite warning after rise in chikungunya cases in travellers returning to UK

Travellers are being warned about mosquito bites on holiday after a rise in chikungunya infections in people returning to the UK.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also said the first cases of the emerging oropouche virus had been recorded.

Chikungunya typically causes sudden fever and joint pain, which can be debilitating, and lasts from a few days to weeks.

The name comes from a word in a Tanzanian language meaning “that which bends up”, owing to the joint pain associated with it.

Most people recover but in some cases the symptoms can last several months or even years.

It’s spread by mosquito bites in tropical and subtropical regions, and most of the 73 cases reported in the UK so far this year were in London and linked to travel to Sri Lanka, India, and Mauritius.

Only 27 cases were reported in the same January to June period last year.

Chikungunya can’t spread directly from person to person – so if someone becomes ill in the UK, they can’t pass the infection on, and the mosquitos responsible aren’t present here.

Dr Philip Veal, consultant in public health at the UKHSA, said it can be a “nasty disease” and the increase in cases was “worrying”.

“It is essential to take precautions against mosquito bites when travelling,” he said.

More on this story:
Thousands fall ill with chikungunya in China

“Simple steps, such as using insect repellent, covering up your skin and sleeping under insecticide-treated bed nets can greatly reduce the risk.”

Chikungunya is mainly found in Asia and Africa, but cases have been reported in Europe and North America this year.

Two vaccines to guard against the infection are available in the UK from private travel clinics.

The first cases of the Oropouche virus have also been confirmed in Britain, according to the UKHSA.

It’s spread by midge and mosquito bites and the three cases are all linked to travel to Brazil.

Oropouche was first identified in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1950s and had been mainly confined to the Amazon area.

However, cases have been increasing since 2023 and have shown up in places such as the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Peru.

Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, nausea and vomiting.

Anyone who gets such symptoms after being in Central and South America or the Caribbean is advised to get urgent medical advice.

Most people recover on their own, but it can cause severe disease in the very elderly or those with a weak immune system.

UK

Man staying at hotel that has been focus of protests denies sexual assault charge

Published

4 hours ago

August 14, 2025

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Man staying at hotel that has been focus of protests denies sexual assault charge

A man staying at a hotel that has been the focus of a series of protests has denied a charge of sexual assault and faces a trial next month.

Mohammed Sharwarq, a 32-year-old Syrian national, was arrested after police were called to the Bell Hotel on the Epping High Road in Essex yesterday, police said.

Sharwarq, who is alleged to have kissed a man on the neck, indicated a plea of not guilty to a charge of sexual assault at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court today.

He indicated guilty pleas to six further charges concerning four complainants – with two counts of common assault and four of assault by beating.

Sharwarq is alleged to have punched a man in the face, thrown an object at a man, slapped a third man in the face and attempted to punch a fourth.

Sky News understands the alleged offences took place inside the hotel between 25 July and 12 August.

District judge Lynette Woodrow remanded Sharwarq, who was assisted in court by an Arabic interpreter, in custody until his trial on 30 September.

The arrest followed weeks of protests outside the hotel.

Neil Hudson, the Conservative MP for Epping Forest, said last month that the protests were a crisis that “risks boiling over”.

UK

UEFA Super Cup: Spurs let slip 2-0 lead to lose to PSG on penalties

Published

4 hours ago

August 14, 2025

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UEFA Super Cup: Spurs let slip 2-0 lead to lose to PSG on penalties

Tottenham let slip a two-goal lead before losing a penalty shootout to Paris St Germain (PSG) in the final of the UEFA Super Cup.

Spurs defenders Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero scored from set pieces to put the north London side on their way to winning the trophy, in what was manager Thomas Frank’s first game in charge.

However, Champions League winners PSG, who were thrashed in the Club World Cup final by Chelsea last month, produced a stunning response after Kang-in Lee pulled one back with five minutes left.

PSG striker Goncalo Ramos, who was brought on in the 77th minute, forced the game to penalties after scoring a header in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

The Super Cup final, played each year between the winners of the Champions League and Europa League, does not feature extra time – meaning the game went straight to spot kicks.

Europa League winners Tottenham initially had the advantage when Vitinha missed PSG’s first kick – but it was followed by Van de Ven and Mathys Tel failing to score their penalties.

PSG, managed by Luis Enrqiue, went on to win 4-3.

The PSG players poured on to the pitch in celebration, knowing they had etched their names into history as the first French side to lift the trophy.

“It’s incredible to win like this. This team once again showed character, even if we’re not at our physical best,” PSG defender Marquinhos said.

“We managed to get the goals we needed through the substitutions, and in the shootout we have players who take their penalties well and a goalkeeper who helped us.”

Tottenham, who finished 17th in the Premier League last season, were unable to win what would have been their second trophy in 17 years – with the first one coming when they beat Manchester United in Europe’s second-tier competition in May.