Waiting list for planned hospital treatment falls to two-year low

THE NHS waiting list for planned hospital treatment has fallen to its lowest level for two years, figures show.

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An estimated 7.39 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of April, relating to 6.23 million patients - down from 7.42 million treatments and 6.25 million patients at the end of March.

These are the lowest figures since March 2023 for treatments and April 2023 for patients. The news comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves gave the NHS a cash injection worth an extra £29 billion per year.

In March, there was a rise in numbers waiting for treatment, which officials put down to seasonal fluctuations.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “We are putting the NHS on the road to recovery after years of soaring waiting times, by providing record investment and fundamental NHS reform.

“Thanks to our interventions and the hard work of NHS staff, the overall waiting list has now fallen in April for the first time in 17 years - dropping by almost a quarter of a million since we took office.