Keir Starmer on NHS waiting lists, PMQs 21 January 2026

The statement

Waiting lists are down by more than 300,000, an extra 2,900 GPs have been recruited, and ambulances are arriving nearly 15 minutes faster this winter than they were last year.

Keir Starmer, 21 January 2026. Source

What the sources report

• NHS England, Referral to treatment waiting times, overview time series (August 2026 file, incomplete pathways) reports referral to treatment waiting list, England, incomplete pathways (June 2024): 7621297pathways^src
• NHS England, Referral to treatment waiting times, overview time series (August 2026 file, incomplete pathways) reports referral to treatment waiting list, England, incomplete pathways, with estimates for missing trusts (November 2025): 7308928pathways^src
• NHS England, Referral to treatment waiting times, overview time series (August 2026 file, incomplete pathways) reports referral to treatment waiting list, England, incomplete pathways, reported trusts only (November 2025): 7159010pathways^src
• NHS England, Referral to treatment waiting times, overview time series (August 2026 file, incomplete pathways) reports referral to treatment waiting list, England, incomplete pathways, with estimates for missing trusts (August 2026, latest): 7370100pathways^src

Notes

NHS England reports 7,621,297 incomplete pathways in June 2024 and, for November 2025 (the latest month published when this was said), 7,308,928 including its estimates for trusts that did not report, or 7,159,010 for reporting trusts only.

The latest month is August 2026: 7,370,100 including estimates, 7,158,164 for reporting trusts only.