The hospital waiting list in England has decreased to its lowest level in nearly three years, with 7.29 million patients waiting for treatments at the end of December 2025.
This information was reported by the BBC, which noted that the number has dropped since February 2023.
According to NHS England's monthly update, the waiting list has seen a decline, but long waits in A&E continue, including a record number of 12-hour trolley waits.
Waiting Times in A&E
More than 71,500 patients spent longer than 12 hours in January 2026 waiting for a bed on the ward after being assessed by A&E staff, the highest figure since it started being tracked in 2010.
Nearly one in five patients who were admitted after attending A&E waited that long.
Official Response
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said, "There is much more to do. We've got to pick up the pace...but the NHS is on the road to recovery."
Dr Vicky Price, of the Society for Acute Medicine, stated that hospitals were operating beyond safe levels when it comes to emergency care.
NHS Performance
Duncan Burton, Chief Nursing Officer for England, praised the progress being made on reducing waits, pointing out this had happened during a period when the NHS had to cope with strikes by resident doctors.
While the waiting list did drop, performance against the 18-week target declined slightly, with 61.5% of patients waiting less than 18 weeks.
Regional Variation
Rory Deighton, of the NHS Confederation, said the progress was welcome, but added it masked "a wide degree of regional variation".
For more information on treatment waits at local hospitals, users can access an interactive tracker.
