Vital Signs: NHS waiting lists

Briefing · Parliament

MPs and peers dispute whether NHS waiting lists are falling and how far they can be trusted

1. 01The central argument about NHS waiting lists ran throughout the Health Bill committee, with Karin Smyth (Labour, Bristol South) telling the committee that the waiting list stood more than 340,000 below its level at the 2024 election and that 65 per cent of patients were now seen within 18 weeks, while Dr Caroline Johnson (Conservative, Sleaford and North Hykeham) repeatedly countered that the total was higher than the previous month and that figures for patients awaiting admission for a procedure were higher than a year earlier, questioning whether statistics were being 'massaged' (Topical Questions, 14 July 2026; Health Bill committee sittings, July 2026).
2. 02A separate dispute emerged over patients being removed from waiting lists without treatment. Gregory Stafford (Conservative, Farnham and Bordon) warned in the Health Bill seventh sitting on 25 June 2026 that the removal of 351,000 patients in March raised the possibility of lists being 'improved just on paper', calling for the Secretary of State to publish monthly removal figures and reasons; Dr Caroline Johnson described constituents being repeatedly telephoned until their clock reset to day zero; Karin Smyth said data on removals was already published by NHS England and that there were 'no plans to publish more detailed breakdowns'.
3. 03Mental health waiting lists attracted particular concern from across the House. Dr Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat, Winchester) told the Health Bill committee on 2 July 2026 that children and young people on mental health waiting lists had risen from just over half a million when he was elected in 2024 to one million, and that mental health funding had fallen to 8.4 per cent of the NHS budget despite accounting for 20 per cent of caseload; Lewis Atkinson (Labour, Sunderland Central) made a similar point in the Timms Review debate on 9 July 2026, saying that while physical waiting lists were falling, the longest mental health waits had increased since December.
4. 04The use of private providers to cut waiting lists divided the Health Bill committee. Dr Caroline Johnson moved a new clause on 16 July 2026 seeking regulations to ensure private capacity was used to reduce waiting lists, pointing to gynaecology lists rising by more than 6,000 since the 2024 election; Karin Smyth replied that the Government's approach was 'pragmatic' and that private provision was already used, while Dr Peter Prinsley (Labour, Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket) warned that overuse of private facilities in ophthalmology had 'disabled' NHS service provision.
5. 05Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer cited the fall in NHS waiting lists repeatedly as a key government achievement in PMQs and statement debates, describing it as 'the fastest fall in NHS waiting lists for 17 years' on 1 July 2026, 15 July 2026 and 24 June 2026; Torsten Bell (Labour, Swansea West) added on 15 June 2026 that more than one in five people aged over 75 had been on an NHS waiting list in 2024 and that the number waiting had since fallen by over 400,000.