Number and share waiting over 52 weeks for elective treatment in England 2007-2023

In April 2023, there were a total of 7.57 million people in England waiting for elective treatment. Of these, over 371 thousand had been waiting for more than 52 weeks. This equates to five percent, much more than the zero standard set by NHS, where no one should wait for over a year for elective treatment. Percentage of long waits (though not numbers) were down or close to zero from 2012 but began to rise when the COVID-19 pandemic started. This statistic displays the number and percentage of patients waiting more than 52 weeks for elective (non-urgent) treatment in England from August 2007 to April 2023.