The NHS waiting list has risen for the first time in seven months, striking a blow to Rishi Sunak’s claims that it was coming down.
Some 6.33 million patients were waiting for 7.57m planned procedures and appointments in April, up from 6.29m waiting for 7.54m treatments in March.
When the Prime Minister vowed to tackle the waiting list in January 2023, it stood at 7.21m treatments.
During Sky News’ Battle For Number 10 on Wednesday, Mr Sunak cited previous monthly figures which had shown a decline.
But he admitted: “We’ve not made as much progress on cutting waiting lists as I would have liked, and that was something I was keen to do and it has proven more difficult for a number of reasons.”
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Dr Sarah Scobie, Nuffield Trust acting director of research, said the data showed progress had stalled.
She added: “This is a familiar picture over more than a decade whereby NHS staff are working incredibly hard, but the system can’t keep up with growing demand.”
Tim Gardner, assistant director of policy at think tank the Health Foundation, said: “With both Labour and the Conservatives promising big improvements in NHS waiting times, today’s figures are a stark reminder of the scale of the challenge facing the next government.”
Professor Vivien Lees, vice president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, also warned that the “NHS won’t stand a chance of cutting waiting times without significant additional investment”.
NHS England said the rise in patients waiting was despite medics carrying out more elective procedures than in any previous April.
Some 1.48m people were seen for appointments and tests, up from the previous April record of 1.36m in 2019.
Hospitals also faced high demand for urgent and emergency services during the usually quieter late spring period.
More than 2.4m people visited A&E in May and daily attendances were up five percent compared with April.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: “As these figures show, demand for NHS services across the country remains high.
“May was a record month for urgent and emergency services, with the highest number of A&E attendances as well as being the busiest May for the most urgent ambulance call-outs, while staff delivered a record number of elective appointments for April.
“This is alongside viruses that are still causing concern, including whooping cough.”
Sir Stephen warned that the five-day junior doctors’ strike planned for the week before the election would cause further disruption.
He added: “We would remind people to continue to use NHS services in the usual way by using 999 and A&E in an emergency, and by using 111 online and community services like GPs and pharmacies which are open as usual for help and advice.”
Wes Streeting, Labour’s shadow health secretary, said of the waiting list data: “This has blown a hole in Rishi Sunak’s claim that the NHS has turned a corner.
“He promised to cut waiting lists, but they are 350,000 longer today than when he became Prime Minister.
“He can’t blame NHS staff – there were no strikes last month yet waiting lists still rose. The blame lies solely with the Conservatives.”
Patricia Marquis, executive director of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said “there will be no place to hide for the next government” when it comes to bringing waiting lists down.
“Excuses, vague promises and unambitious levels of investment will not get patients the care they need,” she added. “Politicians with their eyes on Number 10 need to wake up to that fact.”