NHS Activity Tracker: September 2026
Community sector
1.24m
people waiting for community services – the highest figure on record
26.7%
of CYP waiting 52 weeks+ for community services
1.83m
referrals received – the busiest June on record
Waiting list (data for July 2026)
- The total reported community services waiting list in England stood at 1.24 million in July. This is the highest figure on record and is compared with 1.20 million in July 2025.
- The total number of CYP waiting for community services was 323,334, compared with 326,434 in July 2025.
- There were 912,687 adults on the community waiting list, compared with 869,461 in July 2025.
Long waits (over 52 weeks) (data for July 2026)
- There were 86,279 children and young people (CYP) waiting for 52 weeks or more, equating to 26.7% of all CYP on the community waiting list. This is compared with 79,261 (24.3%) in July 2025.
- There were 39,436 CYP waiting for 104 weeks or more, which is 12.2% of all CYP on the community waiting list. This is compared with 23,411 (7.2%) in July 2025.
- There were 5,985 adults waiting for more than 52 weeks for treatment, compared with 11,098 in July 2025. This makes up 0.7% of the adult waiting list (1.3% in July 2025).
Referrals and contacts (data for June 2026)
- There were 1.83 million referrals to community services received (as shown in Figure 4). This is the busiest June on record.
- A total of 9.08 million care contacts were reported across all submitters.
Figure 4