The rise came despite a record-breaking summer of elective and cancer care delivery.
Health minister Stephen Kinnock said: ‘This has been a record-breaking summer for the NHS, with more cancer cases diagnosed or ruled out and more tests and checks delivered than any summer before.
‘We know there's more to do - that's why we're pressing ahead with new surgical hubs, evening and weekend scans, and cutting-edge technology to get millions more patients treated on time.'
Records were achieved for elective cases managed (4.6m between June and August) and cancer diagnosis (654,640 within 28 days), despite 54,095 appointments and procedures being postponed due to five days of strike action by resident doctors.
September was also a record for A&E and ambulance services. There were 2.31m A&E attendances last month, a 4% rise on last September (2.21m). Despite this, a greater proportion of patients were seen within four hours compared to last year (75% vs 74.2%). It was also a record September for ambulance staff with 761,433 incidents, a 6% rise on 721,003 in September 2024.
Reaction
Dr Francesca Cavallaro, senior analytical manager at The Health Foundation, said: 'The NHS needs a system-wide approach to recovery, one that prioritises investment, workforce resilience and long-term planning, rather than just delivering more activity. Failing this, the NHS will struggle to cope with both year-round and seasonal pressures without major impacts on performance and patient care.'
Professor Peter Friend, vice president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: ‘As we head into another tough winter, the Government must face facts: without urgent investment in NHS infrastructure and support for staff wellbeing, progress on reducing waiting times will remain slow.'
Danielle Jefferies, senior analyst at The King's Fund, said ‘ahead of an Autumn Budget that is not expected to provide much more financial support to the health and care system, the conundrum facing this Government is the same that troubled previous administrations – how do they keep down costs while resolving industrial action and keeping afloat during winter, all while improving performance in the long term'.
Jefferies added: ‘The Government has set a clear priority to improve the 18 weeks target for routine care, but it remains unclear what the recovery plan looks like for many other services that patients rely on.'
NHS England the chief executive of NHS Providers, Daniel Elkeles said: ‘We can't go on like this. We need to do more to prevent illness and catch problems before they get worse.
‘That's what the 10-Year Health Plan sets out to achieve, and trusts are working towards that goal, often with impressive results. But it takes time.'
