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NHS Waiting List at Lowest Level in Three Years
England's NHS waiting list dropped to 7.29 million by December 2025 amid record elective activity, but January saw 71,500 patients wait over 12 hours in A&E for admission.
- On Thursday, NHS England reported the planned treatment waiting list fell to an estimated 7.29 million treatments at the end of December 2025, down from 7.31 million in November.
- Emergency department metrics highlight 71,517 people waited over 12 hours, 161,141 waits of at least four hours, and 2,320,266 A&E attendances in January.
- Some performance measures show strain as 61.5% of patients wait under 18 weeks, down from 61.8%, while four-hour A&E performance at 72.5% increases pressure to meet March targets.
- Looking beyond the drop, the long‑term backlog remains 2.7 million cases higher than pre-COVID levels, with Sky analysis showing 4.3 million unreported removals since Labour took office, and think‑tanks criticised transparency.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Nearly one-fifth of improvement to hospital waiting list under Labour down to non-clinical activity
The number of people waiting for treatment is at its lowest level since February 2023, but recent improvements have been limited, and problems with the data mean it's not clear exactly why it's falling.
NHS waiting list 'lowest in 3 years' but A&E waits still put patients 'at risk' - The Mirror
A&E doctors have issued warnings over waiting times, as they say vulnerable patients "with complex needs" are facing "the greatest risk of harm" with hospitals operating "beyond safe limits"
NHS England » NHS waiting list lowest in almost 3 years as NHS battled busiest winter on record
The NHS delivered more elective activity in 2025 than any other year in its history, helping cut the waiting list to its lowest level since February 2023. Staff delivered a historic high of 18.4 million treatments and operations in 2025, up from 18 million in 2024, as the waiting list dropped to 7.29 million. Today’s […]
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