The rise came as the NHS reported a ‘summer onslaught' with average daily A&E attendances exceeding 80,000 (81,264) for the first time ever in June.

NHS national medical director Professor Frankie Swords said: ‘These figures show that summer is now putting the NHS under just as much pressure as winter, with staff facing an onslaught of demand – and we have to prepare for it in the same way.

‘Staff are currently experiencing the busiest months' of their career, but they are delivering for patients despite this record demand.'

The number of people waiting within 18 weeks for planned care increased slightly to 65.6% of patients in May, compared with 65% in April.

The Government has set a target of 92% of people receiving planned care by July 2029 having achieved its interim target of 65% in March 2026.

GP and pharmacy satisfaction rates both rose. More than three quarters of patients (76.7%) rated their overall experience of their GP practice as good last year - up from 73.9% last year.

Almost nine in 10 patients reported having a good experience of pharmacy services, while more than four in five (81.5%) said they were able to get an NHS dental appointment the last time they tried - up from 76.3% in 2024.

Over 3,000 people received care in corridors in emergency departments and elsewhere in hospital on average each day.

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Nuffield Trust fellow Bea Taylor said: ‘A&E attendances are usually high in summer, and June's figures follow this trend, but there is no doubt that this year's heatwaves are putting additional strain on the NHS. The health service is used to dealing with the extra pressure that winter brings each year, but climate change means hospitals are now facing multiple shocks throughout the summer months too.

‘Outdated hospital buildings make extreme heat more difficult for patients and staff, and the Government's plans for spending on buildings and equipment which were set out this week will barely touch the sides of the maintenance backlog.'

Professor Frank Smith, vice president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: ‘While there has been progress in reducing the longest waits overall, too many patients are still waiting longer than the NHS's 18-week standard for the surgery they need. 

‘Modernising NHS infrastructure is essential to bring down waiting times. The Government is right to recognise that years of under investment has left too many NHS buildings and facilities no longer fit for purpose. A long-term approach is sensible, but hospitals cannot wait much longer for the modern theatres, equipment and technology that allow surgeons and their teams to treat more patients sooner.'

Tim Gardner, deputy director of policy at The Health Foundation, said: ‘The NHS has achieved some important progress towards achieving the government's top priority of cutting waiting times for routine hospital treatment. However, turning around a struggling health service within a tight financial settlement means trade-offs are unavoidable, and our polling consistently shows the public are most concerned about general practice and A&E.

‘The next prime minister may need to reassess and rebalance the NHS's priorities and focus more on improving primary care access, addressing bottlenecks in urgent and emergency care and delivering overdue reforms to social care.'