NHS faces continued demand for services as waiting lists rise

• The total waiting list for procedures and appointments has risen to 7.42 million in March, up from 7.40 million in February; 
• The estimated number of unique patients waiting for routine hospital care was 6.25 million in March, up from 6.24 million in February;
• Nearly three-quarters (74.8%) of patients were admitted, transferred or discharged from A&E departments within four hours in April; down on the 75.0% in March and up on the 74.5% in April 2024;
• There were 2.30 million attendances at A&Es across England in April, compared with 2.39 million in March;
• Category 2 ambulance average response time for March was 27 minutes and 34 seconds against the thirty-minute target for 2025/26; This is better than March where it was 28 minutes and 34 seconds, and better than in April 2024 when it was 30 minutes and 22 seconds;
• For Category 1 ambulances, the average response time was 7 minutes and 43 seconds in April, compared to 7 minutes and 52 seconds in February. This is faster than the 8 minutes and 10 seconds in April 2024;
• In March, 78.9% of cancer patients were told they had cancer or had it definitively ruled out within 28 days, down from 80.2% in February. This is against the target of 75%. This is up from 77.3% in March 2024.

Responding to the latest NHS performance statistics, Rory Deighton, acute director at the NHS Confederation, said:

“Despite winter being over, the data shows that waiting lists for procedures, appointments and hospital care have continued to increase in the face of continued high demand for NHS services. 

“There is no letting up for NHS leaders and their teams who have been working hard to ramp up productivity and improve patient care. Our members know that there is still a long way to go to further drive down waiting lists, tackle the backlog and hit the 18-week target. 

“It is positive to see that attendances at A&Es across England dropped in April compared to March and there has also been an improvement in ambulance response times. 

“However, the demand for NHS services shows no signs of slowing down and if the health service is to achieve its ambition of reforms, it will have to make some tough decisions in order to put the NHS on a sustainable footing for the long-term. 

“We look forward to the Chancellor’s forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review as well as the government’s ten-year health plan which we hope will address some of these issues to help the health service deliver long into the future.”