Health Services: Waiting Lists
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of regional differences of NHS waiting lists.
Answered by Karin Smyth
The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England regularly monitor regional variation in NHS waiting lists to address variation in performance, so patients can expect to receive high quality care in a timely way, wherever they live.
NHS England offers a range of support to providers across England to address the longest waits and implement reforms, including tailored regional and national support, sharing of best practice, and additional support via their Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme.
Data on current regional waiting lists, as of June 2025, is given in the table below.
Region | Total number of incomplete pathways (size of waiting list) | % within 18 weeks |
London Commissioning Region | 1,193,638 | 62.3% |
South West Commissioning Region | 633,647 | 65.4% |
South East Commissioning Region | 1,096,222 | 61.5% |
Midlands Commissioning Region | 1,353,783 | 60.0% |
East of England Commissioning Region | 928,937 | 57.0% |
North West Commissioning Region | 1,029,327 | 58.6% |
North East and Yorkshire Commissioning Region | 995,897 | 67.5% |
Total (National) | 7,369,169 | 61.5% |
Source: NHS England, Monthly RTT Waiting Times Data Collection
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