New figures have revealed that tens of thousands of patients were waiting for routine treatment at Buckinghamshire Healthcare in September.

It comes as the Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting announced a package of "tough" reforms to tackle the NHS crisis, including the introduction of a new league table of NHS providers.

NHS England stats show that 45,269 patients were waiting for non-urgent elective operations or treatment at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust at the end of September – down from 47,397 in August, and 47,407 in September 2023.

Of those, 1,721 (four per cent ) had been waiting for longer than a year.

The median waiting time from referral to treatment at Buckinghamshire Healthcare was 16 weeks at the end of September – the same as in August.

Nationally, 6.3 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of September – down from 6.4 million at the end of August.

Siva Anandaciva, chief analyst at The King’s Fund, said: "Transparency is a good aim, but league tables alone will not lead to better and faster care this winter.

"It could result in the unintended consequence of health leaders becoming too focused on reporting upwards to national bodies, instead of outwards to what their local communities need.

"The mix of measures will need very careful implementation to avoid perverse incentives."

He said care outside of hospitals must be factored in, adding: "Shifting more care into the community, reforming social care, and bolstering prevention, will all be key to making our healthcare service fit for the future."

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

At Buckinghamshire Healthcare, 6,293 patients were waiting for one of 12 standard tests, such as an MRI scan, non-obstetric ultrasound or gastroscopy at this time.

Of them, 1,050 (17 per cent) had been waiting for at least six weeks.

Other figures show cancer patients at Buckinghamshire Healthcare 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 58% of cancer patients urgently referred to Buckinghamshire Healthcare in September began treatment within two months of their referral.

That was down from both 66 per cent in August, and 61 per cent in September 2023.

Tim Gardner, assistant director of policy at think tank the Health Foundation, said the figures show the immense challenge the Government faces.

Welcoming the new NHS reforms, he said: "It’s right for the Health and Social Care Secretary to focus on value for money and to be clear about the performance expected, but the measures announced yesterday must be supported by other policies to improve performance.

"Improvement will only happen if staff believe these new processes to be fair, that support is genuine, and that their voice is heard – or we risk further lowering of morale.

“Creating a health service that is fit for the future will rely on securing long-term investment and reform in next year’s spending review and 10-year plan."