Analysis by The Guardian found 2.99m of the 6.23m patients awaiting care have had no follow-up care since being referred by a GP.

Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: ‘If accurate, 3m people are trapped in an invisible waiting list crisis, stuck without basic diagnostic tests of first appointments while their conditions worsen.

‘The scale is staggering, as nearly half of all patients on a waiting list haven't been seen by anyone. That's not a healthcare service; that's a breakdown.

‘These aren't just statistics. They're people checking their phones daily for hospital calls that never come, unable to plan their lives while their symptoms deteriorate.'

The Government has targeted 92% patients receiving treatment within 18 weeks by 2029 with 72% of patients waiting no longer than 18 weeks for a first appointment by March 2026.

The targets looks particularly challenging given that 1m of the 3m unseen patients have already waited more than 18 weeks for care.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘Thanks to this Government's record investment, reforms and the hard work of NHS staff, we've cut the waiting list by over 260,000 since July 2024, which also fell for the first time in 17 years in April and May outside of the pandemic. On top of this, we have also delivered 4.6m appointments – more than double the 2m we promised.

‘This Government is delivering the fundamental reform needed to turn our NHS around, and our 10 Year Health Plan will build on this progress, to ensure we meet our target that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks for treatment by March 2029.'

The Government said the number of people waiting longer than 18 weeks for a first appointment had fallen by over 100,000 since July 2024 (132,335 from week ending 7 July 2024 to week ending 29 June 2025).