Nearly half a million fewer people are waiting for routine NHS treatment compared to four months ago, with the waiting list dropping to 7.5 million in January – the fourth consecutive monthly fall that offers genuine hope amid one of the health service's most challenging winters.
The latest NHS England figures show that whilst 7.5 million treatments were outstanding at the end of January, this represents 6.3 million individual patients – down from 7.6 million treatments in December. More encouragingly, the number facing the longest waits continues to shrink. Patients waiting over 18 months for treatment fell to 308,300 in January, down from 319,600 the previous month, whilst those waiting over 65 weeks decreased to 395,600 – a reduction from 416,200 in December.
However, these improvements in planned care haven't yet translated to emergency services, where pressures remain intense. A&E departments across England saw over 1.5 million attendances in January, with the target for 75% of patients to be seen within four hours still not being met. This highlights the ongoing strain on urgent care pathways that many hospitals continue to face.
The Government's target to eliminate all waits over 65 weeks by March 2024 – excluding patients who chose to wait longer or complex cases – remains within sight, though it will require sustained effort. Importantly, whilst these figures show clear progress, the overall waiting list remains substantially higher than before the pandemic, reflecting the considerable ground still to be made up following COVID-19's impact on routine care.
For patients, these statistics present a cautiously optimistic picture. Whilst the overall trend for routine treatments is moving in the right direction, significant waits for certain procedures and in particular areas persist. The NHS stresses that anyone with health concerns should continue to contact their GP or call NHS 111 for advice – and crucially, not delay seeking help for worrying symptoms whilst waiting times improve.