Figures released this week by NHS England show that the total number of open cases waiting to start treatment was 7.3 million in July 2026, exactly 7,131,685 excluding estimates for missing trusts.

In July, the proportion of pathways closed within the 18-week target fell to 65.3%, though average waiting times held steady at 12 weeks. While patients awaiting elderly medicine and mental health services experienced average waits under 9 weeks, those waiting for oral surgery faced average delays of 15.9 weeks.

Polimapper has visualised July’s NHS Referral to Treatment waiting times data by Integrated Care Board (ICB). The NHS Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly ICB was the best-performing area, closing 73.9% of pathways within 18 weeks. Meanwhile, NHS Essex ICB remains the worst-performing board by a wide margin, at just 55.5% of pathways closed within target.

Geodata context

A new report from NHS England confirms the health service faced its busiest summer (June, July, and August) on record, despite treating, admitting, or discharging a record number of A&E patients within four hours over the period.

Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care: “With the support of this Government, the NHS has worked hard to strengthen its ability to respond to these challenges, but the reality is that extreme demand is no longer confined to winter.”

Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of The King’s Fund: “The NHS is now facing a twin crisis with summer joining winter as a major pressure on services and leaving little room for staff and the system to recover between peak periods.”