The NHS backlog has dropped again from 7.48 million to 7.46 million, while the number of patients waiting for treatment is down from 6.28 million to 6.24 million.
Monthly figures found that as well as the waiting list falling in December 2024 for the fourth month in a row, NHS staff also delivered a record 18 million treatments in 2024. The number of treatments administered in 2023 was 17.35 million, which was four per cent less than in 2024.
December saw the NHS carry out 1.33 million treatments, which is a 6.5 increase on the year before (1.25 million).
The number of people waiting less than 18 weeks was 58.9 per cent, up from 56.6 per cent in December 2023. This notable increase is a stride towards the NHS’s target to have 65 per cent of patients receive elective care within 18 weeks of referral by March 2026, and then to meet to the constitutional target of 92 per cent by March 2029.
The NHS also saw a record year of tests and checks in 2024, thanks to the continued rollout of community diagnostic centres, with more than 28.3 million tests and checks, up a fifth from 2019 figures, with 23.6 million checks and tests given. NHS staff delivered a whopping 2.24 million checks in December alone, up 21 per cent on 1.85 million in 2019.
Even though the NHS was under immense pressure through January with soaring levels of winter illnesses such as flu and COVID-19, and dealt with high bed occupancy and difficulties with discharging patients. Nevertheless, 73 per cent of patients were seen within four hours in A&E, which was an improvement on the month before (71.1 per cent) and the same month last year (70.4 per cent).
Professor Julian Redhead, NHS England’s national clinical director for urgent and emergency care, said: “These latest figures show innovations and the hard work of staff is now delivering consistent progress in bringing down the backlog, with the waiting list falling for the fourth month in a row and a record 18 million treatments delivered last year — on top of huge increases in the number of tests and checks, including for cancer, giving people clarity with that all-important diagnosis or all clear.
“This post pandemic period is potentially the hardest the NHS has ever managed and that has certainly been true this winter with soaring levels of viruses, high bed occupancy and difficulties discharging patients — with last week seeing 14,000 beds taken up each day by patients who were medically fit for discharge.
“Despite that storm of pressure in January, A&E and ambulance waiting times were improved on both the month and year before, and this year we will continue work to improve patient flow across hospitals throughout the year, to ensure that we’re in a better position for next winter.
“The public can play their part by continuing to only use 999 in a life-threatening emergency and 111 for other conditions, while ahead of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will continue delivering the shifts from hospital to community care and from analogue to digital, to continue to improve patient experience and bring down waiting times.”
