The number of people in England waiting for hospital treatment has hit a new record high, according to figures from NHS England.

A total of 5.6 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of July – up more than 100,000 on last month when the figure stood at 5.45 million.

That is the highest figure since records began in August 2007 and includes people waiting for hip and knee replacements and cataract surgery.

The number of people waiting more than 52 weeks to begin treatment was 293,102 in July this year – down from 304,803 the previous month, but more than three times the number waiting in July 2020 which was 83,203.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said he has warned the NHS waiting lists could reach 13 million without immediate action as he pledged to tackle growing numbers.

The latest data also shows the total number of people admitted for routine treatment in hospitals in England in July 2021 was 259,642, up 82% from a year earlier (142,818).

However, this reflects lower-than-usual figures for July 2020, which were affected by the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The equivalent figure for July 2019, a non-pandemic year, was 314,280

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