TENS of thousands of patients were waiting for routine treatment at the Royal Devon University Healthcare Foundation Trust in August, new figures show.

The NHS is facing a difficult winter as the overall waiting list in England climbed for a third month in a row, but in Devon, the latest figures show that the number of people on waiting lists is falling.

NHS England figures show 73,262 patients were waiting for non-urgent elective operations or treatment at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust at the end of August – down from 74,183 in July, and 79,110 in August 2023.

Of those, 2,952 (4%) had been waiting for longer than a year. The median waiting time from referral at an NHS Trust to treatment at the Royal Devon University Healthcare Foundation Trust was 15 weeks at the end of August – the same as in July.

Nationally, 7.6 million treatments were waiting to start at the end of August – a slight increase on July and the highest since October 2023. Responding to the figures, Nuffield Trust deputy director of research Sarah Scobie said many parts of the NHS are still experiencing "intense pressure".

"The Government needs to act fast on long waits for care, but we are still waiting for more detail on how Labour's promise to increase appointments will improve waiting times. It is also crucial that plans to deal with the backlog of care confront inequalities in access," she added.

Separate figures show 1.6 million patients in England were waiting for a key diagnostic test in August – the same as in July.

At the Royal Devon University Healthcare Foundation Trust, 16,692 patients were waiting for one of 14 standard tests, such as an MRI scan, non-obstetric ultrasound or gastroscopy at this time.

Of them, 6,711 (40%) had been waiting for at least six weeks. Other figures show cancer patients at the Royal Devon University Healthcare Foundation Trust are not being seen quickly enough.

The NHS states 85% of cancer patients with an urgent referral should start treatment within 62 days.

But NHS England data shows just 71% of cancer patients urgently referred to the Royal Devon University Healthcare Foundation Trust in August began treatment within two months of their referral. That was in line with the proportion in July, but up from 67% in August 2023.

Oncologist Professor Pat Price, chair of Radiotherapy UK said the cancer waiting list data confirms the "legacy of deadly delays" the Government has inherited, but added there was hope for things to get better.

He said: "We need a comprehensive cancer plan to ensure these innovations and solutions reach those who need them.

"When it comes to cancer, delays to treatment quickly become a matter of life and death.

"The cancer community stands ready to work with the Government to deliver practical and cost-effective solutions to improve NHS cancer care."

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said the NHS has now set out its winter plan, which includes better data reporting and more care in the community, to help patients be seen as quickly as possible.

He said the NHS delivered over half a million more treatments in 2024 than in 2019, and met the cancer faster diagnosis standard for the fourth month in a row in August, but cautioned more must be done to provide "faster, high-quality care," he said.

Minister of State for Health, Karin Smyth, said: "This Government is working at pace to radically reform the NHS through the 10-Year Health Plan, focusing on three big shifts from analogue to digital, sickness to prevention, and hospital to community, so the NHS can be there for us when we need it, once again."