Continued progress in driving down waiting lists in Wales
- In December, there were just under 741,000 referral to treatment (RTT) patient pathways waiting to start treatment (the overall waiting list), a decrease of around 16,900 since November. This is the lowest since March 2023 and the seventh month in a row where the figure has fallen.
- Management information suggests there were about 580,300 individual patients on treatment waiting lists in December, down from 591,700 in November and 616,500 in the previous December.
- Just under 5,300 pathways were waiting more than two years in December, 92.5% lower than the peak, a decrease of around 1,600 (23.7%) from the previous month and over 18,000 less than the same month the previous year.
- The average time patients had been waiting for treatment at the end of December was 0.2 weeks shorter than the previous month at 19 weeks and 4.6 weeks shorter than the same month the previous year.
- There were just over 32,700 pathways waiting longer than one year for their first outpatient appointment, a decrease from the previous month, and 68.1% less than the peak in August 2022. This was the lowest figure since September 2020.
Responding to the NHS activity and performance statistics for December and January, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, Darren Hughes, said:
“It is reassuring to see the continued, relentless focus on driving down waiting lists is paying off, especially for those waiting the longest for treatment.
“The overall waiting list fell for the seventh month in a row in December, which is not something we’d usually see given the heightened pressures on the NHS in the winter months and an early flu season hitting the UK in December.
“NHS leaders are fully aware that we are still not where we need to be – too many people are still waiting a long time for treatment – but that we must capitalise on this momentum, learn from what has worked in driving down waiting lists and make sure areas of best practice are shared and scaled.
“January saw significant demand on urgent and emergency care, which was evident when some health boards declared critical incidents, and this demand is reflected in the high level of attendance at emergency departments, which were up roughly 1,000 a day on average compared to January 2025. That said, it’s positive to see the target for the new measure for ‘purple calls’ being met in January, despite high demand.
“To continue to tackle high demand and drive down waits for the people of Wales, the next Welsh Government must implement a cross-government strategy for prevention, stabilise social care and enable the NHS to invest in its estates and infrastructure.”
