NHS waiting lists have risen for the second consecutive month, despite a record number of cancer checks and treatments in July. The figures cover a period that included five days of industrial action.
This morning, NHS England published new referral to treatment waiting times figures for July 2025, revealing an increase of 33,000 in open pathways – cases where patients are still waiting for treatment. In July, there were 7,400,000 open pathways and 6,200,000 patients waiting for treatment.
Only 61.3% of pathways were completed on time, far below the NHS target. The NHS waiting times target sets out that 92% of people waiting for non-urgent treatment should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to first treatment.
Although the average waiting time fell to 13.1 weeks in July, 191,000 patients had already been waiting more than a year for treatment.
Ear, nose and throat services and oral surgery performed the worst, both seeing only 51% of pathways completed on time.
At Polimapper, we have visualised NHS waiting times figures by Integrated Care Board in England.
The NHS Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly ICB performed the best, with 71% of pathways completed on time, followed by the North East and North Cumbria ICB. Conversely, the Mid and South Essex ICB saw the worst performance, at 52%. Explore statistics in your area below.
About this map
The visualisation below shows referral to treatment waiting times figures by Integrated Care Board in England for July 2025. Indicators include average weeks waiting and target performance.
To explore statistics in your area double click on the map or use the search bar. Alternatively, click here to launch the full page visualisation.
Geodata context
Despite rising waiting lists, NHS England highlighted the record number of cancer checks and treatments delivered during a month that included industrial action.
Professor Meghana Pandit, national medical director at the NHS: “Industrial action in the NHS is never easy for patients, but despite last month’s disruption record number of cancer patients got the care they needed.”
“While urgent ambulance response times were the fastest they’ve been in over 4 years – even as A&E and ambulance staff saw more patients in August than ever before.”
Nonetheless, other sources talk of a system struggling to meet demand.
Professor Frank Smith, vice president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England: “Today’s figures highlight a system struggling to meet demand. Too few operating theatres and crumbling hospital buildings are leading surgeons to have to compete for space, directly contributing to delays and leaving patients waiting for the care they need.”
“Modernising NHS infrastructure must be a government priority. The Chancellor must commit substantial capital funding for the NHS in the upcoming Autumn Budget.”
Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers: “NHS staff are pulling out all the stops to deliver more tests, checks, and scans for patients, including for cancer care, but they’re running just to stand still with waiting lists rising again, more people coming forward for planned care, and urgent and emergency services under relentless pressure all-year round.
“If we’re going to make a real dent in waiting lists and get more patients seen faster, we need to change how to deliver healthcare. The shift to seeing patients closer to home and preventing sickness needs to happen quickly.”