The NHS waiting list is 230,000 lower than July last year, even
as the health service ‘approaches its limit' with A&E and
ambulances facing record demand ahead of winter.
The overall waiting list for September was 7.39m (an estimated
6.24m patients) down 15,845 compared to the previous month and
230,000 fewer than July 2024.
Figures released today also show the NHS is the busiest it has
ever been heading into winter, ahead of damaging industrial
action and a likely spike in flu cases in the coming weeks.
In response the NHS has upped the ante on its flu vaccination
programme, with 14.4 million flu vaccines delivered so far this
autumn (14,419,345) – over 160,000 more than at the same point
last year (14,253,063 w/e 10 November 2024).
While the NHS has taken a different approach to winter this year
- planning earlier than ever before and stress-testing services
against three stages – preparation, staying ahead and response.
While patients are set to get better access to their GPs thanks
to a government investment of an extra £1.1 billion in general
practice this year – the biggest funding increase in a decade.
A&E attendances and ambulance incidents were both a record
for October. A&E attendances were 37,000 higher than October
2024 (2.36m). This equates to over 1,200 more attendances per day
this October. Ambulance incidents also jumped nearly 50,000
compared with October last year (806,441).
Despite the pressure, average ambulance response time for
emergencies including strokes and heart attacks was almost ten
minutes faster than in October 2024 (32mins 37 seconds).
The health service is bracing for the disruption of five days of
industrial action by resident doctors, which begins tomorrow
(Friday).
The public are advised to attend any planned appointments
scheduled during the strikes unless they have been contacted to
reschedule.
Primary and urgent and emergency care services will continue to
be available for those who need them. The public should use 111
online as the first port of call for urgent but not
life-threatening issues during industrial action so that they can
be directed to the best place for their needs.
Patients who need emergency medical care should continue to use
999 or come forward to A&E as normal.
Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS National Medical Director,
said:
“It is fantastic news that the health service managed to get the
waiting list down in September, but there's no doubt NHS staff
will be approaching their limits this winter.
“Flu is peaking early and looking like it will be long lasting,
while industrial action starting on Friday comes on the back of
the busiest October in A&E in NHS history.
“Staff continue to work incredibly hard and, as ever, the public
can play their part by getting flu, Covid, and respiratory
syncytial virus (RSV) jabs if eligible.
“People should also use NHS 111 for non-urgent help, and call 999
or visit A&E for life-threatening emergencies – including
during upcoming industrial action.”
Health and Social Care Secretary, said: “Thanks to the investment and
modernisation this government has made, waiting lists are falling
and patients are being treated sooner.
"We are cutting waste to reinvest billions over the coming years
in frontline care – less unnecessary bureaucracy and more
services for patients. And at the Budget the chancellor is
protecting investment in the NHS, to rebuild after more than a
decade of decline.
"The past year is the first time in 15 years that waiting lists
have fallen. There's a long way to go, but the NHS is now on the
road to recovery."
More than 2.5m (2,518,187) vital checks and tests were performed
in September, almost 150,000 (148,008) more than the previous
month.
To make NHS performance statistics more accessible and
transparent, for the first time this month the NHS is also
publishing data on the performance of individual emergency
departments across the country, along with data on paediatric
emergency performance and mental health delays in emergency
departments over 24 hours, which was a commitment made in the UEC
plan.
