NHS hospital figures for England show lower waiting lists but continued pressure on A&E

NHS England’s weekly and monthly reports show the routine hospital waiting list fell to about 7.31 million treatments at the end of November 2025, while A&E waits and ambulance handover delays have increased.

NHS England has published a weekly snapshot of winter pressures and monthly performance data covering waiting times, cancer referrals and ambulance services. The latest figures report the routine hospital waiting list fell to around 7.31 million treatments at the end of November 2025. At the same time, some measures of A&E performance and ambulance handovers have risen during the winter weeks. Key figures: - Routine waiting list: an estimated 7.31 million treatments (6.17 million patients) at end of November 2025, down from 7.40 million treatments in October and the lowest level since February 2023. - Long waits: 156,483 people had been waiting more than 52 weeks for routine treatment at the end of November, down from 172,556 in October. - A&E performance: 73.8% of patients were seen within four hours in December, and 50,775 patients waited more than 12 hours from a decision to admit to admission in December. - Ambulance handovers and response: 37% of patients arriving by ambulance waited at least 30 minutes for handover last week, and average response time for the most urgent calls was seven minutes and 59 seconds in December. Summary: The reports show reduced overall waiting lists and fewer very long waits compared with recent months, alongside increased pressure in emergency departments and on ambulance handovers. Government and NHS England have set performance targets with a reporting milestone of March 2026, and future updates will indicate progress toward those targets.