Responding to the latest NHS performance figures, Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said:

“With a further rise in the number of people on the waiting list, which now stands at 7.75m, more needs to be done to support health leaders and their staff to deliver for patients while facing ever-increasing demand.

“Despite delivering more elective procedures than since before the pandemic and rolling out 10,000 virtual ward beds, the NHS still faces an uphill struggle as it heads towards winter and the prospect of ongoing industrial action is deeply unsettling.

“A&E performance and ambulance response times have dropped this last month and leaders have said it is highly likely that the government’s winter funding will be swallowed up in attempting to manage the ongoing strikes.

“While over a decade of under resourcing is the main underlying cause of this, industrial action means the NHS is often operating with one arm tied behind its back. These figures should give further impetus to all sides to reopen talks and get the NHS moving again for the sake of frustrated and fed-up patients.”