Charts show NHS waiting lists where you live

The NHS waiting list has fallen to its lowest level in five months with fewer waiting over a year than at any time since September 2020 There were 7.57 million cases on the waiting list in September, according to the latest figures from the NHS.

That’s 70,000 fewer than in August and the lowest number since April. It’s also the first time that the waiting list has fallen since February.

Perhaps even more encouraging for patients though is that the number of cases that have been on the waiting list for over a year has fallen to its lowest level since September 2020. Just 3.3% of cases currently on the waiting list have been on there for over a year, down from 5.0% in September 2023 and a high of 8.8% in March 2021. Back in September 2020, 3.2% cases had been on the waiting list for over a year, which is the last time it was below the current level.

READ MORE: Healthy boy gets ultra-rare diagnosis after starting to feel tired

READ MORE: The 15 vintage baby names predicted to huge in 2025 - full list of comeback trend

Accident and Emergency wards had their busiest October on record, but still performed better than at the same time last year.
There were 2.36 million attendances at A&E wards in England last month, including 1.45 million in major ‘Type 1’ A&Es. These are defined as consultant led 24-hour service with full resuscitation facilities and designated accommodation for the reception of accident and emergency patients. The kind of facility you might see on the TV show Casualty.
That’s the highest number on record for an October and the second highest for any month at all.
Patients going to those major A&Es are still more likely than not to be seen within four hours.
However, 41.9% still had to wait more than the four hour target from arrival to being admitted, transferred or discharged.
That’s up from 40.2% in September, but is down from 44.1% in October 2023 and 45.2% in October 2022.

The number of patients having to wait over 12 hours from a decision to admit to being admitted is higher than in previous Octobers.
A total of 49,592 attendances had to wait over 12 hours in October.
That’s the third highest number on record, and is up from 44,655 in October 2023 and 43,793 in October 2022.



You can find out the detailed figures at your local NHS trust using our gadget here:

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: “The NHS is going into winter under more pressure and busier than ever before, with another record month for A&E and ambulance services before we even start to see a further spike of pressure caused by colder weather and the spread of winter viruses.
“While we saw 10% more A&E patients within four hours than last year despite the record demand, it is vital that people help us out by only going to A&E or calling 999 in a life-threatening emergency, using 111 for other conditions, and getting their Covid, flu and RSV vaccinations if eligible.
“However, thanks to the efforts of our amazing staff, these figures also show how they are making use of the latest innovations, including surgical hubs, to bring down waiting lists and deliver 7% more treatments than the same month pre-pandemic, while also delivering more tests and checks than any other September.
“While we continue to treat record numbers and deal with record demand, it is clear that is still much further to go to return performance to the levels patients should expect and we will continue to work with government on the 10 Year Health Plan to address the needs of patients.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “It is welcome to finally see progress start to be made on the backlog.
"Since we ended the strikes, we have been ramping up delivery of an extra 40,000 extra appointments every week.
“The extra investment in the Budget for new surgical hubs and scanners, plus the reforms announced this week to drive up productivity, will cut waiting lists further and get patients seen faster.”