Hospital waiting lists in England have risen for the third month in a row, with experts warning that the NHS government's key priority – tackling the backlog – is under threat.
At the end of August, the queue for planned treatment amounted to 7.41 million people, in May – 7.36 million.
The proportion of waits exceeding the target of 18 weeks has also increased.
Experts said the Government faced a major challenge in reducing waiting times, but ministers said its investment in the NHS would pay off.
The Government has promised that by the end of this Parliament it will achieve the 18-week waiting time target – something it has not done for a decade.
This requires that 92% of patients awaiting procedures such as knee and hip surgery be seen within 18 weeks. At the moment there are 61% of them.
Expectations worsened over the summer after a period of steady progress since Labor came to power.
Dr Francesca Cavallaro, from the Health Foundation thinktank, said that given current trends the government would be unable to deliver on its promise.
“The scale of the problem remains significant.”
Professor Peter Friend of the Royal College of Surgeons of England predicted the coming winter would be difficult.
“The Government must face the facts: without urgent investment in NHS infrastructure and support for staff wellbeing, progress in reducing waiting times will remain slow.
“Surgeons are ready to do more, but they are held back by critical resource issues – lack of staff time, staff vacancies and equipment. Patients deserve better.”
Rory Deighton, from the NHS Confederation, which represents health leaders, said: “NHS leaders and their teams are working incredibly hard to improve performance. It is therefore deeply disappointing that waiting lists have increased for the third month in a row.
But Health Secretary Stephen Kinnock defended the work of the NHS.
He said it had been a “record” summer, with more testing and testing carried out than ever before.
“We know there is more to be done, which is why we are committed to developing new surgery centres, offering scans on evenings and weekends, and using cutting-edge technology to ensure timely treatment for millions of patients,” he added.
