Waiting list drop is welcome but still a long way to go to hit elective care target, health leaders warn
- The total waiting list for procedures and appointments dropped to 7.39 million in April, the lowest level since March 2023;
- Some 75.4% of patients were admitted, transferred or discharged from A&E departments within four hours in May, up on 74.8% in April;
- There were 2.40 million attendances at A&Es across England in May, the second largest on record behind May 2024;
- Category 2 ambulance average response time for May was 27 minutes and 54 seconds against the thirty-minute target for 2025/26;
- For Category 1 ambulances, the average response time was 7 minutes and 51 seconds in May, compared to 7 minutes and 43 seconds in April.
Responding to the latest NHS performance figures, Rory Deighton, acute director at the NHS Confederation, said:
“This new data shows that the hard work of NHS leaders and their teams is paying off, with the waiting lists falling to their lowest level in two years and A&E performance increasing despite incredibly high demand. But our members know there is still a long way to go to further drive down waiting lists and hit the 18-week target.
“The extra funding announced at the Spending Review is very welcome and will help the health service continue to meet rising demand for care, often from patients with multiple or more complex conditions.
“But there are fears that this uplift will not be enough to achieve all the government’s manifesto pledges, including hitting the stretching 92% elective waiting time target by March 2029. Many of our members have warned they will not hit the interim target, with only one-in-two confident they will achieve the 65% elective care interim target by March 2026.
“The solution lies in the radical redesign of pathways, in particular outpatient services, which many of our members are already working towards. We look forward to working with them to spread best practice across the country.
“If the NHS is going to improve productivity and drive down waiting lists then it will need continued capital investment. We were encouraged by the signal from NHSE that they are investigating new off-balance sheet investment models and look forward to working with them on it. We hope to see more details on this set out in the upcoming national infrastructure strategy and ten-year plan.”
