NHS waiting lists hit record high in England

A record 7.47 million people are waiting to start routine hospital treatment, NHS figures for the end of May show - up from 7.42 million the previous month.

This is the highest number since records began for the NHS in England, in 2007.

Some 385,000 people have been waiting more than a year to start treatment.

It comes as the prime minister said industrial action was making it "more challenging" to bring down waits.

Junior doctors in England have begun their longest walkout yet over pay.

The five-day strike runs until 07:00 BST on Tuesday 18 July.

The Government has pledged to eliminate all waits of more than a year by March 2025.

The pandemic, long-standing staff shortages and other factors have also contributed to the growing number of people waiting for treatment.

Tim Mitchell, vice-president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said despite the huge effort that NHS staff are putting in to get patients seen quickly, the situation remained challenging,

He added: "It is disappointing, but not unexpected, to see the NHS waiting list grow to yet another record high this month.

"The longer patients remain on waiting lists, the longer they aren't able to get on with their lives.

"In the most serious cases, patients will be unable to work and will need support to carry out the day-to-day tasks that most of us take for granted."

Janice Tillett, 51, from Northampton, has been on the waiting list for an operation on her knee for a year.

She has Sticker's Syndrome, a genetic condition that has caused serious vision, hearing and joint problems.

Janice says the pain from her knee is "very tiring and wakes her up in the night" despite morphine and other painkillers.

She has already had surgery on both her hips and is worried that if she loses mobility in her knee, it will hit her very hard.

If she can't walk, she says she is concerned she won't be able to get out of the house.

She told the BBC the wait for an operation was frustrating, but she said she was still "thankful for the NHS".

Janice tries to keep active and plays the drums at church: "I still try and live life in the best way."

New data shows the number of people waiting 18 months for routine treatment was down to 7,363 as of July - a reduction of a third since April.

Meanwhile, for emergency departments, the latest figures show there was a slight deterioration in June.

Some 73.3% of patients were seen or assessed within the four-hour target, down from 74% the previous month.

More than 590,000 patients had to wait more than four hours from arrival to being admitted or treated.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: "Every new month brings more evidence of record demand across many areas of NHS care, with staff experiencing the busiest June ever for A&E attendances, no doubt exacerbated by the record high temperatures experienced for that month.

"This ongoing pressure on services is precisely why it is so important to highlight that staff continue to make progress in reducing the longest waits for care despite strikes, high demand and Bank Holiday weekends."