NHS under ‘relentless pressure’ as figures show impact of summer heatwaves

The NHS faced the “busiest summer in its history” as the UK experienced a series of heatwaves, health officials have said as the waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England has risen to its highest level for nine months.The Health Secretary warned that “extreme demand” on the service is “no longer confined to winter” and NHS leaders warned that the service “never gone into winter on the back of such a heavy summer”.It comes as new figures show that A&E attendances in June, July and August reached nearly 7.3 million, the highest figure ever over a summer period, NHS England said.This is almost one million higher attendances compared to the equivalent period in 2022 when 6.4 million A&E attendances were recorded over the summer months.Meanwhile ambulances dealt with a record number of callouts, some 2.4 million, between June and August, NHS England said.During July the NHS waiting list for pre-planned hospital care increased to 7.3 million, the official figures show.An estimated 7.33 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of July, relating to 6.21 million patients, according to NHS figures.This is up from 7.27 million treatments and 6.15 million patients at the end of June.The numbers are the highest since October 2025, when the list stood at 7.40 million treatments and 6.24 million patients.Long waits for NHS hospital treatment in England have also increased.An estimated 111,379 people had been waiting more than a year to start routine treatment at the end of July, up from 105,711 at the end of June.Meanwhile, an estimated 65.4% of patients in July began hospital treatment within 18 weeks of referral, down from 65.8% in June but above the target of 65% that the Government and NHS England had set for March of this year.Labour previously pledged that by July 2029, 92% of patients would be seen within 18 weeks for routine hospital treatment such as hip and knee replacements.Read MoreBut leading surgeons have said it is unlikely the target will be met.Professor Frank Smith, vice-president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: “Our analysis shows that, if the pace of improvement seen over the last two years continues, no region in England will restore the 18-week standard by 2029.”Meanwhile the NHS England figures also show that an average of 2,973 patients in England received corridor care each day in August, with 2,296 in A&E departments and 677 in other hospital areas.Commenting on the summer pressures facing the health service, Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of The King’s Fund, said: “The NHS is now facing a twin crisis with summer joining winter as a major pressure on services and leaving little room for staff and the system to recover between peak periods.“Extreme heat is now an NHS pressure point, not just a weather story.“If ministers want to protect patients, staff and performance, they need to treat climate resilience and delivering a radical shift to prevention as core health policy.’Dr Vicky Price, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “Behind the national figures are teams describing relentless pressure, a lack of meaningful solutions and morale at a low ebb.“Staff continue to work tirelessly, but goodwill cannot compensate indefinitely for structural problems that remain unresolved.”NHS England’s national medical director, Professor Frankie Swords said: “Despite a scorching summer which has tested the NHS like never before and seen demand rocket to record levels, staff have risen to the challenge magnificently to deliver for patients.“While the NHS has been preparing for the coming winter earlier than ever before and resilience testing around winter plans has already begun, we have never gone into winter on the back of such a heavy summer, but today’s figures show the NHS is there when patients need it and we are improving care in vital life-saving areas for patients and their families.”Health Secretary Yvette Cooper described the summer just gone as the most demanding one on record for A&E and ambulance staff (PA)PA WireHealth Secretary Yvette Cooper added: “This has been the most demanding summer on record for our A&E and ambulance staff, with heavy pressure on our NHS and winter still to come.“I want to pay tribute to the incredible dedication of NHS staff.“Despite unprecedented demand, they managed to see a record number of patients within four hours in A&E over the summer.“With the support of this Government, the NHS has worked hard to strengthen its ability to respond to these challenges, but the reality is that extreme demand is no longer confined to winter.“That’s why we’re backing the NHS with record investment and rolling out plans to support services through both summer and winter pressure.”