NHS leaders warn winter pressures are already building in England's hospitals

Health leaders warned that winter pressure is already building in NHS England, as new data showed the waiting list for routine hospital treatment rose for a second consecutive month. BBC News reported that A&E and ambulance services also saw record patient numbers in September.

At the end of August, an estimated 7.37 million treatments were waiting to be carried out, relating to 6.24 million patients. The BBC said 4.7 million planned treatments, procedures and appointments took place across June, July and August, a record for a summer. The share of A&E patients seen within four hours fell to 74.4% in September, from 75.0% in August. A total of 50,582 people waited more than 12 hours from the decision to admit until admission, up from 44,951 in August.

NHS England's national medical director said more patients were arriving at A&E with flu and other respiratory viruses than usual for this time of year. Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper urged eligible people to get flu and other vaccines. The government said the 18-week waiting-time target could still be met and pointed to investment in NHS buildings and equipment.