The number of people waiting to start NHS treatment in England is estimated to have dropped by around 86,000 to 7.3 million, according to official data.
The figure is an estimate as two trusts – Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (RHQ) and Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust did not submit any data for November 2025.
The number of referral to treatment (RTT) pathways where a patient was waiting to start treatment at the end of November 2025 is estimated as 7.3 million people, down from 7.4 million in October.
Some patients are on multiple pathways so the number of unique patients is estimated to be around 6.2 million.
Among the 7.3 million, in 156,483 cases the patient was waiting more than a year, in 1,500 cases they were waiting more than 18 months, and in 177 cases they were waiting more than two years.
In 61.8% of cases the patient had been waiting up to 18 weeks, thus not meeting the 92% standard.
During November 2025, 1,710,325 new RTT pathways were started and 301,761 pathways completed as a result of admitted treatment and 1,207,449 were completed in other ways (non-admitted).
For those pathways where the patient was waiting to start treatment at the end of November 2025, the median waiting time was 12.9 weeks.
Small dent
Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of The King’s Fund, said: “These latest figures come one year on from the government announcing its Elective Reform Plan, meant to improve the efficiency and accessibility of non-urgent surgeries like hip and knee replacements, and the fall in the waiting lists since then is welcome.
“But it cannot be described as transformational with waiting lists only falling by 4% to 7.3 million since Labour took power despite this latest drop of 87,000.
“Even though this only represents a small dent in the overall waiting list, it should not be underestimated the relief and improvement in quality of life for those tens of thousands of people who have got the treatment they have long waited for.”
Woolnough maintained the slow progress in reducing wait times is being mirrored in other key areas where the government is trying to show fast rather than incremental change.
“The 2025/26 NHS guidance set the target of seeing 78% of A&E patients within four-hours by March this year. It appears unlikely that ministers will be able to hit this mark with 74% of patients being seen within four-hours last month,” she continued.
“It also calls into question the feasibility of the 82% four-hour A&E wait target by March 2027 as set out in the medium-term planning guidance.
“The political and medical necessity to improve this sluggish rate of progress will come into sharp focus over the coming year. It will see the government attempt to turn the ambitions set out in the 10 Year Health Plan into reality starting with new legislation to abolish NHS England expected to be introduced shortly.
“The government believes this will reduce unnecessary bureaucratic friction, cut costs and re-establish political accountability but a restructure on this scale risks taking NHS leaders’ minds away from boosting current performance and patient outcomes suffering as a result.”
Welcome drop
David Hare, chief executive of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN), said: “Today’s figures show a welcome drop in the number of people waiting for NHS care.
“Independent providers have been playing a key role in delivering much needed treatment for NHS patients – last year removing 1.6 million people from NHS waiting lists, with the sector now delivering one in five of all NHS operations.
“Given the ambitious target that the government has set in once again meeting the 18 week target by the end of this parliament, this NHS-independent sector partnership working must continue so that independent providers can play their full part in clearing the NHS backlog.”
