NHS England monthly data shows rising pressures

NHS England has today published its first set of monthly performance data, which show the health service's efforts to improve in the face of mounting pressures.

The report for June 2015 showed that ambulance journeys were up by 7.9 percent year over year during the month, while emergency admissions rose by 2.7 percent and diagnostic tests increased by 5.9 percent.

Meanwhile, in the last five years the number of cancer referrals has leapt by 645,000, or 71 percent, which reflects the efforts being made to ensure cancer cases are treated earlier in order to improve survival rates.

Key trends that are increasing pressure on the NHS include growing demand for care treatments as a result of the growing and ageing population, as well as rising survival rates for patients with complex conditions such as heart disease or diabetes.

Dr Barbara Hakin, national director of commissioning operations for NHS England, said: "Throughout the NHS patients are getting better care than ever before, and they are getting it when they need it and where they need it."