New figures have shown that NHS waiting lists have dropped by nearly 30,000 in May to 7.36 million – the lowest total since March 2023 – with 60.9% waiting 18 weeks or less for planned care (the highest proportion since July 2022).
It was also the busiest May ever for the number of tests and checks, with 2.5 million (2,465,184) carried out, up 23% on pre-pandemic (1,996,365 in May 2019), with community diagnostic centres seeing patients closer to their homes.
As part of the government’s new package of reforms to help drive down NHS waiting lists, millions more patients are expected to have their care diverted away from hospital and into the community through a process known as Advice and Guidance. The scheme sees GPs working more closely with hospital specialists to access expert advice quickly and speed their patients through the system, meaning they can get their care closer to home and not have to join the waiting list.
Since recently announcing an expansion of the scheme, more than 99% of practices in England have signed up, meaning up to 2 million extra patients are expected to avoid an unnecessary hospital wait in the next year.
