146,444 patients were waiting for treatment at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust at the end of March reports Clara Margotin, Data Reporter

NHS staff in a hospital corridor — Meanwhile, 6.25 million people in England were waiting to start treatment at the end of March – (Credit – Radar)

Almost 150,000 patients were waiting for routine treatment at the Royal Free London in March, new figures show.

It comes as a health and social care think tank warned efforts to reduce patients’ waiting times are “stalling”.

NHS England figures show 146,444 patients were waiting for non-urgent elective operations or treatment at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust at the end of March – up slightly from 145,412 in February, and 104,192 in March 2024.

Of those, 3,605 (2%) had been waiting for longer than a year.

The median waiting time from referral to treatment at the Royal Free London was 15 weeks at the end of March – the same as the month before.

Meanwhile, 6.25 million people in England were waiting to start treatment at the end of March – up slightly from 6.24 million in February.

It means the national waiting list for routine hospital treatment has risen for the first time in seven months.

The list hit a record high in September 2023, with 6.5 million patients waiting to start treatment.

Reacting to these figures, Sarah Scobie, deputy director of research at the Nuffield Trust, said: “The number of people facing extremely long waits for a hospital appointment has reduced, but progress in bringing down the overall waiting list is stalling.

“The government is hoping that initiatives like expanding use of advice and guidance in general practice will help, so a big question as ministers prepare the 10 Year Health Plan is whether things will get back on track with driving down the backlog.”

Separate figures show 1.7 million patients in England were waiting for a key diagnostic test in March – the same as in February.

At the Royal Free London, 29,229 patients were waiting for one of 14 standard tests, such as an MRI scan, non-obstetric ultrasound or gastroscopy at this time.

Of them, 2,923 (10%) had been waiting for at least six weeks.

Other NHS England figures show cancer patients at the Royal Free London are not being seen quickly enough.

The NHS states 85% of cancer patients with an urgent referral should start treatment within 62 days.

But NHS England data shows just 63% of cancer patients urgently referred to the Royal Free London in March began treatment within two months of their referral.

That was up from both 54% in February, and 55% in March 2024.

Dr Katharine Halliday, president of the Royal College of Radiologists, welcomed the “encouraging progress” on cancer diagnosis times, but warned the improvement pace remains “sluggish”.

She added: “Once diagnosed, too many patients still face excessive waits to start cancer treatment.

“Demand for cancer diagnosis and treatment is rising, so we must take a long-term approach to tackle the backlog for good.

“We urge the Government to invest in the workforce by training up more radiologists and oncologists.”

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Since day one, we have been clear it will take time to reverse the disastrous waiting list we inherited.

“But since July, real progress has been made – including over winter. We have overseen a massive increase in appointments available to meet rising demand, reduced long waits and helped people get diagnosed quicker.

“Our Plan for Change will continue to put patients first as we work to end the misery felt by millions up and down the country who have been denied the care they need for too long.”

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