US EditionHealth minister visits Royal Berks Hospital after stats show wait lists falling
NHS waiting lists fell by over 312,000 in November 2025, driven by investment, new surgical hubs, and expanded advice clinics despite ongoing winter pressures.
- Health Minister Miss Dalton toured the new Frederick Potts unit at Royal Berkshire Hospital on Thursday, 15, marking the Elective Reform Plan anniversary and expanded advice clinics.
- NHS England's November data shows the planned treatment waiting list fell to 7.31 million, marking the second-biggest monthly drop in 15 years and the lowest since early 2023.
- At the tour, staff emphasised digital services and expanded clinics; Mr Statham said staff completed about 17,000 procedures in the six months in the new building, and `So we've been able to bring the waiting lists down for Urology, which is good news`.
- Since Labour came into power, 312,000 people have been removed from waiting lists, with long-wait figures falling to 9,521 patients waiting more than 65 weeks and 1,500 over 18 months.
- Despite falls in waiting lists, A&E and trolley waits remain severe, with 7.8 million attendances and 554,018 over-12-hour waits in 2025, and critics warn some reductions may reflect data-cleaning.
16 Articles
16 Articles
NHS waitlists: what do the latest figures actually tell us?
The waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England has fallen to its lowest level since early 2023. But it still stands at more than seven million treatments waiting to be carried out on more than six million patients. And the Royal College of Nursing has also warned that bed shortages resulting in care in corridors risks becoming a permanent fixture in NHS hospitals.
Evening Standard
NHS waiting list falls to lowest level in almost three years
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said waiting lists are falling around the country.
Second Biggest Drop In NHS Waiting List In 15 Years Amid Record Number Of Patients
November saw the second biggest drop in the waiting list for 15 years outside of the early days of the pandemic, as new data today shows staff faced record demand in 2025. The waiting list fell by more than 86,000 in November to 7.31 million – and the milestone comes a year since the publication of the Elective Reform Plan. The progress came despite the NHS’s busiest ever year, with 27.8 million A&E attendances in 2025 – up by over 367,000 on 20…
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