The NHS in England has had its busiest summer ever in emergency departments, with 4.6 million visits in the past two months. A further 1.5 million hospital appointments had to be rescheduled because of junior doctors’ strikes, latest figures show.
The three busiest months ever for ER staff were 2024, with 77,945 visits per day in May, 76,469 in June, and 74,459 in March.
The surge in demand comes at a time when the NHS has been hit by strikes. Junior doctors went on strike between 27 June and 2 July, leading to 61,989 emergency appointments being rescheduled. As a result, almost 1.5 million appointments have been affected since the conflict began.
Meanwhile, the total waiting list for elective care in hospitals, which refers to non-urgent services such as hospital scans and diagnostics, rose again in June to 7.62 million – an increase of 19,100 compared to the previous month.
There are now an estimated 6.39 million patients on waiting lists. At the end of June, only 58.9% were waiting less than the constitutional norm of 18 weeks, compared to a target of 92%.
The latest figures come after the government pledged to eliminate the NHS waiting list within five years.
Prof Stephen Powis, the NHS national medical director, said: “Emergency department staff are under enormous pressure and the NHS is in the midst of what could be its busiest summer ever, with a total of 4.6 million attendances in the past two months alone and 2024 now set to see the three busiest months for the Emergency Department on record.
“While we have seen improvements in the number of patients seen and treated in the Emergency Department within four hours, ambulance response times are slightly faster and over three quarters of cancer patients receive an ‘all clear’ or diagnosis within four weeks, it is clear that waiting times for patients across services remain unacceptable and much more needs to be done to deliver more timely care to those who need it.
He added: “No one in the NHS wants patients to face long waiting times and we are committed to working with the government to set out a 10-year plan for the health service, which sets out a clear plan to reduce waiting times.
“In the meantime, staff continue to work incredibly hard to deliver the best possible care to patients, and it is vital that people continue to come forward if they have health concerns.”
Tim Gardner, assistant director of policy at the , said the figures reveal the “monumental task” facing the new government “in getting the NHS back on its feet”.
“The pressure on the health service is felt most acutely by patients who need urgent and emergency care … there are no quick fixes and the £22 billion shortfall in the government accounts outlined by the Chancellor last week underlines that tough decisions on tax and spending will be needed. While the government has made economic growth its primary mission, a thriving economy requires a healthy population and a strong health service.”
Saffron Cordery, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, said the figures reflect a “really tough summer for the NHS”.
“They also show that 2024 is set to be the busiest year ever for A&E, putting pressure on services and staff,” Cordery said. “Despite increased activity across all services, performance on many fronts is still far from where it should be.
She added: “Nobody, and certainly not trust leaders, is complacent about this. Patient safety is paramount.”