How long is the NHS waiting list?

In England the waiting list figure comes from NHS England's monthly referral to treatment (RTT) statistics. They count incomplete pathways: the number of treatment waits, not people, because one person can be waiting for more than one treatment. NHS England also publishes an estimate of the number of unique patients.

The constitutional standard is that 92% of patients should wait under 18 weeks. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland publish their own waiting times on different definitions, so the four lists cannot simply be added together.

Official sources: NHS England RTT waiting times

The latest figure

The newest value is at NHS England. More on it: NHS waiting list (England).

When is the next figure out?

Monthly, usually the second Thursday of the month at 9:30am, covering the month two months earlier. No API: data are .xlsx/.csv files with changing file names on the NHS England statistics pages, which return a bot challenge (HTTP 202) to scripts; the GOV.UK statistics announcement page for each release is reachable and can be used to detect a new release

Every official release due in the next two weeks is on the release calendar.

Terms used in this answer

• Referral to treatment (RTT)
  The waiting time measure for planned hospital care in England: the time from referral to the start of consultant-led treatment. The NHS standard is 18 weeks.
• Elective care
  Planned, non-emergency hospital treatment such as hip replacements, cataract operations and many outpatient appointments, usually after a referral.
• Waiting list pathways
  The unit the NHS in England uses to count its waiting list. One patient waiting for two different treatments counts as two pathways.
• Median
  The middle value when all values are ordered from lowest to highest. Half are above and half below, so a few very large values cannot pull it up.
• Headcount
  A count of individual people, each counted once regardless of how many hours they work or how many posts they hold.
• Provisional figures
  Early estimates published before all data are in, so users get timely figures. They are expected to be updated when later data arrive.

Where the figures come from

• Social care, childcare and children's social care statistics (DHSC, NHS England, Skills for Care, DfE, ONS and devolved bodies)
  Where to find official figures on care homes, social care staff, delayed discharge, unpaid carers, free childcare, childcare costs and children in care.
• NHS England statistics and NHS England Digital (formerly NHS Digital)
  Where to find official NHS England figures on RTT waiting lists, A&E four-hour waits, cancer and ambulance times, diagnostics, GP numbers and appointments.

Related questions

• Is the NHS waiting list coming down?
• How do I check NHS waiting times for my hospital?
• What are NHS waiting times in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?

This answer says where the official figures are published and how they are defined. It gives no verdict on any claim. To report an error, send a correction request. More questions about nhs and health: all NHS and health questions.