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NHS Crisis: 7.6 Million on Waiting Lists, 12-Hour A&E Waits, and Why It's Getting Worse

Politics · July 29, 2026 · Sarah Mitchell · 10 min

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The NHS has 7.6 million people on waiting lists and patients wait 12+ hours in A&E — here's why the health service is collapsing and what Labour plans to do.

The NHS is in the worst crisis in its 78-year history. 7.6 million people are on waiting lists for treatment (1 in 9 people in England), up from 4.4 million pre-COVID. Patients wait an average of 6 hours 12 minutes in A&E, with 30% waiting 12+ hours (vs the 4-hour target). The NHS has 130,000 staff vacancies (47,000 nurses, 12,000 doctors) and loses 50,000 staff per year to burnout, early retirement, and emigration. Ambulances take 1 hour 30 minutes to respond to stroke and heart attack calls (vs 18-minute target). Cancer patients wait 8 weeks for treatment (vs 2-month target). Mental health patients wait 12 weeks for a first appointment (some wait 6+ months).

This is not a temporary blip. The NHS has been in crisis since 2015, and every year it gets worse. Waiting lists have doubled since 2015 (from 3.5 million to 7.6 million). A&E waits have tripled (from 2 hours to 6 hours). Staff vacancies have doubled (from 60,000 to 130,000). The NHS is collapsing under the weight of demand, underfunding, and staff shortages — and there is no quick fix.

Labour won the 2024 election promising to "save the NHS" with 40,000 extra appointments per week and a 2-week cancer treatment target. But Labour offers no new funding beyond the £1.6 billion already announced (0.9% of the NHS budget), and no plan to recruit the 200,000 extra staff the NHS needs. Here's why the NHS is in crisis, what's causing it, and whether Labour can fix it.

The Numbers

Waiting lists: 7.6 million (1 in 9 people)

7.6 million people are on NHS waiting lists for treatment (July 2026), up from:

• 4.4 million (February 2020, pre-COVID)
• 3.5 million (2015)
• 2.5 million (2010)

1 in 9 people in England is waiting for NHS treatment (hip replacement, cataract surgery, hernia repair, etc.).

How long do they wait?

• 18 weeks (median wait, from GP referral to treatment)
• 52 weeks (400,000 people waiting 1+ years)
• 104 weeks (50,000 people waiting 2+ years)

The NHS target is 18 weeks from GP referral to treatment. The NHS has not met this target since 2016 (8 years).

A&E waits: 6 hours 12 minutes (30% wait 12+ hours)

Average A&E wait: 6 hours 12 minutes (from arrival to admission/discharge/transfer)

% waiting 12+ hours: 30% (vs 0% target)

The NHS target is 4 hours (95% of patients should be seen within 4 hours). The NHS has not met this target since 2015 (9 years).

Current performance:

• 50% of patients wait 4+ hours
• 30% wait 12+ hours
• 5% wait 24+ hours

Patients with stroke, heart attack, and sepsis wait an average of 6 hours in A&E before being admitted to a ward — delays that cause permanent disability and death.

Ambulance waits: 1 hour 30 minutes (vs 18-minute target)

Average ambulance response time (Category 2: stroke, heart attack, sepsis):

• 1 hour 30 minutes (July 2026)
• 18 minutes (target)

The NHS has not met the 18-minute target since 2017 (7 years).

Why so slow?

Ambulances cannot hand over patients to A&E (because A&E is full), so they queue outside hospitals for 2-4 hours. This means ambulances are not available to respond to new 999 calls.

Result: Patients with stroke and heart attack wait 1 hour 30 minutes for an ambulance, causing permanent disability and death.

Cancer waits: 8 weeks (vs 2-month target)

Average wait from GP referral to cancer treatment: 8 weeks (62 days)

NHS target: 62 days (2 months)

Current performance: 60% of cancer patients are treated within 62 days (vs 85% target)

40% of cancer patients wait 62+ days for treatment — delays that reduce survival rates.

GP appointments: 2 weeks (some wait 4+ weeks)

Average wait for GP appointment: 2 weeks

% waiting 4+ weeks: 20%

% of appointments that are phone/video: 50% (vs 20% pre-COVID)

Many patients cannot get a face-to-face GP appointment and are forced to use phone/video consultations (which are less effective for diagnosis).

Mental health waits: 12 weeks (some wait 6+ months)

Average wait for first mental health appointment: 12 weeks

% waiting 6+ months: 30%

% of referrals rejected (patient does not meet threshold for treatment): 40%

Mental health is the slowest part of the NHS — patients wait months for a first appointment, and 40% are rejected as "not sick enough" for treatment.

Staff vacancies: 130,000 (47,000 nurses, 12,000 doctors)

The NHS has 130,000 staff vacancies (July 2026):

• 47,000 nurses
• 12,000 doctors
• 40,000 support staff (healthcare assistants, porters, cleaners)
• 31,000 other (radiographers, physiotherapists, pharmacists)

Vacancy rate: 9% (1 in 11 NHS jobs is unfilled)

Why so many vacancies?

1. Burnout: NHS staff work 50-60 hour weeks, with no breaks, no time off, and constant pressure. 50% of NHS staff report burnout.

1. Pay: NHS pay has fallen 10% in real terms since 2010 (after inflation). Nurses earn £28,000-£35,000, doctors £30,000-£50,000 (junior doctors), consultants £90,000-£120,000. Many leave for higher-paying jobs in private sector or abroad (Australia, Canada, Middle East).

1. Early retirement: 50,000 NHS staff retire early every year (age 55-60) due to burnout and pension tax rules.

1. Emigration: 10,000 NHS staff emigrate every year (to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Middle East) for better pay and conditions.

Result: The NHS loses 50,000 staff per year and cannot recruit fast enough to replace them.

Why Is the NHS in Crisis?

1. COVID backlog

The NHS paused non-urgent treatment during COVID (March 2020 - June 2021) to focus on COVID patients. This created a backlog of 5 million patients waiting for surgery, scans, and appointments.

The NHS has never cleared this backlog. Waiting lists rose from 4.4 million (February 2020) to 7.6 million (July 2026) — an increase of 3.2 million.

Why hasn't the backlog been cleared?

The NHS does not have the staff or capacity to treat 7.6 million patients. To clear the backlog, the NHS would need to do 20% more operations per year for 5 years — but it has 130,000 staff vacancies and cannot recruit enough staff.

2. Underfunding

NHS spending has grown slower than demand since 2010:

• NHS spending growth: 0.9% per year (real terms, per person, 2010-2024)
• Demand growth: 2-3% per year (ageing population, chronic diseases, new treatments)
• Historical average: 3.7% per year (1950-2010)

Result: The NHS is doing more with less. Demand has grown 30% since 2010, but funding has grown just 10% (real terms, per person).

NHS budget (2024-25): £182 billion

NHS budget per person: £3,100 per year (real terms, 2024 prices)

This is higher than 2010 (£2,800 per person), but lower than needed to meet demand (£3,500 per person).

3. Staff shortages

The NHS has 130,000 vacancies and loses 50,000 staff per year to burnout, early retirement, and emigration.

Why?

1. Pay: NHS pay has fallen 10% in real terms since 2010. Nurses earn £28,000-£35,000, junior doctors £30,000-£50,000 — less than teachers, police, and private sector equivalents.

1. Workload: NHS staff work 50-60 hour weeks, with no breaks, no time off, and constant pressure. 50% report burnout.

1. Pensions: NHS pension tax rules penalise high earners (consultants, GPs), causing 10,000 early retirements per year.

1. Training: The UK trains 7,000 doctors per year (vs 10,000 needed) and 20,000 nurses per year (vs 30,000 needed). The NHS relies on foreign recruitment (30% of doctors, 20% of nurses are foreign-trained), but Brexit has made this harder.

Result: The NHS cannot recruit fast enough to fill vacancies, so waiting lists grow.

4. Ageing population

The UK population is ageing:

• 18% of population is 65+ (2024, vs 16% in 2010)
• 3% of population is 85+ (2024, vs 2% in 2010)

Older people use the NHS 5x more than younger people (more hospital admissions, more GP appointments, more prescriptions).

Result: Demand for NHS services grows 2-3% per year (faster than funding growth).

5. Chronic diseases

40% of adults have a chronic disease (diabetes, heart disease, COPD, dementia) that requires ongoing NHS care.

Chronic diseases account for 70% of NHS spending (£127 billion per year).

Result: The NHS spends more on managing chronic diseases (which cannot be cured) and less on acute care (surgery, A&E, cancer).

What Is Labour's Plan?

Labour won the 2024 election promising to "save the NHS" with:

1. 40,000 extra appointments per week

Labour pledges 40,000 extra appointments per week (2 million per year) by:

• Evening and weekend GP appointments (paid for by reducing NHS management costs)
• Using private hospitals to clear NHS waiting lists (NHS pays private hospitals to do NHS operations)

Will it work?

Modest impact. 2 million extra appointments per year would reduce waiting lists by 300,000 per year (from 7.6 million to 7.3 million in year 1, 6 million by 2029).

But this assumes:

• NHS can recruit staff to do extra appointments (it cannot — 130,000 vacancies)
• Private hospitals have capacity (they do, but limited — 10% of NHS capacity)
• Patients want evening/weekend appointments (some do, but many cannot attend due to work/childcare)