NHS waiting list hits record high with 6.4m patients yet to have routine treatment

‘Long waits for emergency care, previously only seen in the depths of winter, are now commonplace,’ says expert

More than 24,100 people had to wait 12+ hours to be seen in A&E in April (Shutterstock)

A new high of 6.4 million people in England were waiting for routine NHS treatment in March 2022, figures show, as ambulances services continued to struggle and 12-hour waits in A&E hit new records.

It is the highest number of patients waiting for routine care since records began in August 2007.

A new record of 24,138 people had to wait more than 12 hours in A&E in April. The figure is up from 22,506 in March, and is the highest for any calendar month, in records going back to August 2010.