The NHS waiting list continued to decline, falling to 7.43 million people in January 2025, according to the latest data from NHS England.
The latest data revealed 7,428,309 people were on the waiting list at the start of the year, down from around 7.46 million as of the end of 2024.
The number of referral to treatment (RTT) pathways where a patient was waiting to start treatment at the end of January 2025 was 7.4 million.
As some patients are on multiple pathways, the number of unique patients is estimated to be around 6.3 million.
Among the 7.4 million, in 198,868 cases the patient was waiting more than a year, in 14,975 cases they were waiting more than 65 weeks, in 2,005 cases they were waiting more than 18 months, and in 139 cases they were waiting more than two years.
In 58.9% of cases the patient had been waiting up to 18 weeks and so were not meeting the 92% standard.
During January 2025, 1,817,400 new RTT pathways were started and 329,523 pathways were completed as a result of admitted treatment and 1,261,177 were completed in other ways (non-admitted).
For those pathways where the patient was waiting to start treatment at the end of January 2025, the median waiting time was 14.4 weeks. The 92nd percentile waiting time was 42.4 weeks.
Immense pressures
Tim Gardner, assistant director of policy at the Health Foundation, said: “Today’s statistics continue to demonstrate the immense pressures urgent and emergency care services have faced this winter, with February seeing nearly 48,000 patients waiting over 12-hours in A&E before being admitted to a hospital bed. The NHS waiting list has fallen slightly but remains stubbornly high at 7.43 million.
“The government has made cutting the NHS waiting list a top priority, and timely treatment is, of course, vital for every patient. But recent Health Foundation polling with Ipsos shows the public’s main concern is how easily they can access a GP appointment.
“General practice is the front door of the health system, and while the continued reduction in hospital backlogs is welcome, this focus shouldn’t come at the expense of improving the rest of the health system.
“The forthcoming 10-year health plan is a chance to change perceptions of the NHS and set a clear direction for the service. The real test for government will be whether the public start to see genuine improvements in the NHS services they rely on.”
Exacerbating health woes
Brett Hill, head of health and protection at Broadstone, said: “While it’s encouraging to see the NHS waiting list dip slightly to 7.43 million in January 2025, significant progress is yet to be made in returning to pre-pandemic levels – keeping in mind that pre-pandemic levels were at an historical high after eight years of the waiting list steadily increasing.
“With millions still waiting for much-needed treatment, exacerbating their health woes, employers are now offering enhanced healthcare benefits to ensure their staff have timely access to care.
“The private healthcare market has rapidly become a vital component of the UK’s wider healthcare system, whether through self-funded treatment, households purchasing private medical insurance (PMI) or employer-funded healthcare benefits.”