The waiting list dropped by more than 86,000 in November to 7.31 million, marking a major milestone one year after the launch of the Elective Reform Plan. The reduction comes against the backdrop of the NHS’s busiest year on record.
In 2025, A&E departments in England handled 27.8 million attendances an increase of more than 367,000 compared with 2024. December alone saw 2.33 million visits, as winter pressures intensified.
Hospitals also continued to battle seasonal illness. An average of 2,725 patients were in hospital with flu each day last week, while norovirus cases rose by 57 per cent, prompting NHS leaders to warn the health service remains “in the thick of winter”.
Ambulance services faced unprecedented demand, with December recording the highest number of incidents ever at 846,263. The total for 2025 reached 9.31 million incidents, around 365,000 more than the previous year.
Despite the pressure, performance in emergency care improved. In December, 73.8 per cent of patients were seen within the four-hour A&E target, around 50,000 more than in the same month a year earlier.
Since the introduction of the Elective Reform Plan, the NHS has expanded evening and weekend clinics, rolled out new and enlarged community diagnostic centres and surgical hubs, and deployed specialist “crack teams” to 20 hospital trusts with high levels of economic inactivity. Changes have also reduced unnecessary appointments by sending patients “straight to test” rather than through multiple clinic visits.
In November alone, NHS staff carried out 2.45 million tests and checks. The number of patients waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment also fell to 2.79 million, down from 3.1 million a year earlier.
Progress was also reported in cancer care, with 76.5 per cent of patients receiving a diagnosis or the all-clear within four weeks of an urgent referral.
Weekly data showed norovirus cases continued to rise, with an average of 567 patients in hospital with the virus each day last week. Bed occupancy remains high at 94.1 per cent.
Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS National Medical Director, praised staff for delivering progress under intense pressure. She said NHS teams had worked “incredibly hard” to reduce waiting lists while managing record demand across emergency services.
She added that while flu cases in hospital are beginning to fall, winter pressures remain severe, urging the public to use 999 and A&E only for life-threatening emergencies and to make use of NHS 111, GPs and pharmacies where appropriate.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said the figures showed patients were beginning to feel real change. He said waiting lists were down by more than 312,000 overall, with more people being treated within 18 weeks.
“November saw the second biggest monthly drop in waiting lists in 15 years,” he said. “That means faster care, less anxiety for families, and more people back on their feet and back to work.”
Streeting said the progress was driven by record investment, modernisation and the work of NHS staff, but acknowledged winter pressures remain high and more improvement is needed.
