NHS Waiting List in England Hits 7.42 Million

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Hospital waiting lists in England just hit 7.42 million delayed treatments - the highest since September, but the real number tells a different story.

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Behind that massive 7.42 million figure are 6.25 million actual patients still waiting for care they desperately need.

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Hospital teams smashed records by completing 100,000 MORE treatments this March compared to last year - that's progress you won't see in headlines.

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The longest waits dropped dramatically: from nearly 5,000 people waiting 18+ months to just 1,164 - still too many, but massive improvement.

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Professor Sir Stephen Powis reveals NHS teams face 'enormous' demand managing historic backlogs while treating hundreds of thousands of new patients monthly.

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This March's patient increase was 18,700 - far below the typical spring surge of 68,000. Why was this rise smaller than expected?

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Over 1.5 million treatments completed in March alone, plus 200,000+ cancer patients got diagnosis or all-clear within four weeks.

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The hidden problem: 'We could do more surgeries if we had enough operating theatres,' says Royal College of Surgeons' Professor Frank Smith.

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Emergency care breakthrough: A&E departments handled 2 million visits in April - their best performance in four years.

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Life-saving response times improved: ambulances now reach critical emergencies in under 8 minutes when lives hang in the balance.

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The stark reality: pre-COVID waiting lists stood at 4.5 million. Today's 7.42 million shows exactly how much catch-up work remains for every patient still waiting.

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