Emergency pressures hampered efforts to reduce NHS waiting lists in January

Dramatic pressure on NHS emergency departments throughout January had a knock-on effect for efforts to reduce the time that patients wait for planned treatment, according to new NHS figures published today. Surgeons have warned that cutting waits amid emergency pressures is like “trying to navigate a traffic jam during rush hour”. 

With just 58.9% of patients seen within 18 weeks in January 2025, the NHS continues to make slow progress to meeting the government’s interim target of 65% of patients being seen within 18 weeks by March 2026. The NHS will need to treat an additional 6.1% of patients, roughly 450,000 more, in just over a year to meet the target.

NHS trusts have also been asked to reduce the proportion of people waiting over 52 weeks for treatment to less than 1% of the total waiting list by March 2026. There were 198,868 patient pathways, or 2.7% of the total waiting list, waiting over 52 weeks for treatment in January. The total waiting list now stands at 7.4 million. With some patients on multiple pathways, NHS England estimates the number of individuals waiting is around 6.3 million.   

Weekly bed occupancy data published by NHS England throughout January suggests up to 96% of adult general and acute hospital beds were occupied at points across the month. High bed occupancy rates can make it difficult for planned operations to go ahead. This is further compounded by beds being taken up by patients who were fit to be discharged. 

The Royal College of Surgeons has said the government must keep up the momentum on establishing more surgical hubs, while investing in more operating theatres, beds and IT, to ensure hospitals have the resources they need to reduce waiting times. By focusing on elective surgeries and separating them from emergency services, surgical hubs help reduce waiting times for planned operations. This minimises the risk of cancellations due to emergency admissions.

Commenting on today’s figures, Professor Frank Smith, Vice President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), said: 

“Efforts to cut waiting times at the start of this year will have felt like trying to navigate a traffic jam during rush hour thanks to soaring hospital admissions for winter illnesses such as flu and norovirus. At the time, we saw multiple NHS trusts forced to declare “critical incidents” as ambulance services and A&E departments came under immense pressure.

“When hospitals are full, through increased emergency demand and delays in discharging patients fit to leave, it can have a significant knock-on effect for planned treatment. This will be part of the reason we are seeing such slow progress towards the government’s interim target of 65% of patients starting treatment within 18 weeks by March 2026.

“A big concern for surgeons is that the longer patients wait for treatment, the greater the risk their condition deteriorates, leading to more complex operations, or the need for emergency surgery, which puts further pressure on the system. 

“The government must keep up the momentum on establishing more surgical hubs. At the same time, they need to be investing in more operating theatres, beds and IT that works, so that all hospitals have the facilities they need to see more patients, more quickly.”

Notes to editors:

1. NHS England’s latest consultant-led referral-to-treatment waiting times data is available here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2024-25/#Jan25. The total waiting list stood at 7,428,309 in January 2025.
2. NHS England A&E Attendances and Emergency Admissions: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/
3. NHS England bed availability and occupancy data: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/bed-availability-and-occupancy/ 
4. NHS England acute discharge situation reports: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/discharge-delays/acute-discharge-situation-report/ 
5. The Royal College of Surgeons of England provides world-class education, assessment, and development to 30,000 surgeons, dental professionals, and members of the wider surgical and dental care teams at all stages of their careers. Our vision is to see excellent surgical care for everyone. We do this by setting professional standards, facilitating research, and championing the best outcomes for patients.
6. For more information, please contact the press office: telephone: 020 7869 6053/6054/6047; email: pressoffice@rcseng.ac.uk; out-of-hours media enquiries: 0207 869 6056.