Almost 100,000 patients were waiting for routine treatment at Oxford University Hospitals Trust in July, new figures show.

The Prime Minister has said the NHS must "reform or die" as the Government publishes a major report on its future.

NHS England figures show 85,804 patients were waiting for non-urgent elective operations or treatment at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust at the end of July – up from 84,287 in June, and 76,690 in July 2023.

Of those, 4,176 (5 per cent) had been waiting for longer than a year.

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The median waiting time from referral at an NHS Trust to treatment at Oxford University Hospitals Trust was 15 weeks at the end of July – the same as in June.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has today said there will be no more money for the NHS without reform.

Addressing the King’s Fund annual conference in London, the Prime Minister said he would "accept the challenge" of fixing the NHS but warned it would be "measured in years, not months".

Sir Keir was responding to a damning report from surgeon and former health minister Lord Darzi, which lays bare the problems in the health service.

The rapid review, carried out in nine weeks, says the health service "is in critical condition, but its vital signs are strong".

Staff on an NHS hospital ward (PA)

Separate figures show 1.6 million patients in England were waiting for a key diagnostic test in July – the same as in June.

At Oxford University Hospitals Trust, 22,062 patients were waiting for one of 15 standard tests, such as an MRI scan, non-obstetric ultrasound or gastroscopy at this time.

Of them, 4,697 (21 per cent per cent) had been waiting for at least six weeks.

Other figures show cancer patients at Oxford University Hospitals Trust are not being seen quickly enough.

The NHS states 85 per cent of cancer patients with an urgent referral should start treatment within 62 days.

But NHS England data shows just 60 per cent of cancer patients urgently referred to Oxford University Hospitals Trust in July began treatment within two months of their referral.

That was in line with the proportion in June, but down from 62 per cent in July 2023.

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Tim Gardner, assistant director of policy at think tank the Health Foundation, said: "Lord Darzi’s diagnosis and the new figures published today lay bare the consequences of a decade of underinvestment in the NHS and the immense challenge for the new Government in reversing the NHS’ decline."

Rory Deighton, director of the NHS Confederation’s acute network, warned "positive signs of progress could easily be lost" in winter.

"These figures reinforce just how much pressure the NHS is under and just how hard staff are working to improve performance and provide the best care possible for patients," he said.