Latest NHS performance figures – our response

The latest Emergency Department performance figures show the number of people waiting over 12 hours to be seen have gone down. Yet, still many people are waiting too long for vital NHS care. Read our response.

The latest NHS Emergency Department performance figures show the number of people waiting over 12 hours to be seen have gone down. However, the number of people waiting four hours has been up, compared to January figures.

Digging into data

  • In total, 1,913,293 were admitted at A&E, down 49,218 from January. 
  • 34,976 patients were delayed for 12-hours or more from decision to admit to admission. This is a fall of 18.2% from January.
  • Four-hour performance at major Emergency Departments was 56.8%. This means, 486,078 people waited over four hours, up 3,440 from January.

Louise Ansari, our national director said: 

"Although it's positive to see that long waiting times in A&E are being addressed, too many people are still waiting too long for vital care.

“We continue to hear from people waiting hours in crowded waiting rooms with little or no information on when they will be seen.

“We know the NHS has a plan to improve waiting times for emergency departments and ambulances, which includes a lower target for meeting the four hour wait time standard.  Managing pressures and focusing on short-term improvements should come alongside a longer-term ambition to return to previous levels of service, as promised to patients in the NHS constitution.

“We acknowledge workforce pressures, but the NHS needs to be clear to patients about what they can expect from services, otherwise people will continue to lack confidence in the health system.”