THE NHS waiting list in England has risen even as the number of patients facing the longest delays has fallen, official figures show.

At the end of June, an estimated 7.37 million treatments were on hold for 6.23 million patients, up from 7.36 million in May.

But 18-month waits fell from 1,237 to 1,103, while those waiting more than 65 weeks dropped to 10,517, down from 11,522 in May and 58,024 a year earlier.

One-year waits also fell to 191,813.

Tim Gardner of the Health Foundation charity said hospitals “remain under relentless pressure,” while Nuffield Trust’s Dr Becks Fisher warned that the reductions may reflect removals from the list rather than treatment.

“We should be under no illusions that despite delivering more appointments, the NHS is still not meeting patient demand,” Dr Fisher said.

A&E performance also improved, the data revealed, with 76.4 per cent of patients seen within four hours in July, up from 75.5 per cent in June.

But cancer targets remained below goals, with 76.8 per cent diagnosed or having cancer ruled out within 28 days, while 67.1 per cent started treatment within 62 days.