NHS Performance Tracker

Emergency Department performance data for England, March 2025:

Summary:

• Busiest March on record for attendances across all EDs (2,389,064), while also being the busiest month in winter 2024/25 for Major EDs (1,450,686).
• Four-hour performance stood at 60.9%
• There were 551,129 admissions (all) and 404,354 type-1 admissions.
• 9% of type-1 attendances were admitted.
• 46,766 patients experienced a trolley wait of 12 hours or longer, the highest March on record.
• There were 101,161 available general & acute beds in type 1 trusts, a decrease of 22 compared to March 2024
• 10,246 beds needed to achieve the safe occupancy rate of 85%

Supplementary ECDS Analysis March 2025 (12-hour length of stay data measured from the time of arrival) data show:

• There were 137,070 12-hour stays in type-1 EDs, a decrease of 4,423 compared to last month and a decrease of 7.2% compared to March 2024. This is equivalent to two fewer 12-hour stays in each department each day compared to last year.
• Yet still, 9.7% of patients experienced a delay of 12-hours or more. This is equal to almost 1 in 10.

The latest Emergency Department performance figures published by NHS England for March 2025 show:

• There were 2,389,064 attendances to EDs (all types), making it the busiest March on record and the busiest month in winter 2024/25.
• There were 1,450,686 attendances to major EDs, making is the busiest month in winter 2024/25, but it is a decrease of 11,791 (0.8%) from March 2024.
• 75% of patients were transferred, admitted, or discharged within four hours, an increase of 1.6 percentage points (pp) from the previous month and 0.8pp from March 2024.
• In Major EDs, this figure stood at 60.9%, up 2.5pp from the previous month, but remaining unchanged from March last year.
  • It should be noted that this improvement comes in a month where NHSE unveiled the 2024/25 capital incentive scheme, offering £1m to 40 organisations that improved their four-hour performance the most, £20 million of which was based on March improvements alone.
• There were 551,129 admissions (all), an increase of 55,034 from the previous month but a decrease of 16,045 from March last year.
• There were 404,354 type 1 admissions an increase of 41,749 from the previous month but an decrease of 15,472 from March last year.
• 9% of type-1 attendances were admitted, a decrease of 0.6pp from the previous month and a decrease of 0.8pp from March last year.
• There were 133,957 four-hour trolley waits, an increase of 2,720 from the previous month and a decrease of 6,224 from March last year.
• There were 46,766 12-hour trolley waits. This is the highest on record for March, and an increase of 3,798 from March 2024, the second highest.
• 24% of admissions experienced a four-hour trolley wait.

Beds data for March 2025 show:

• There were 101,161 available general & acute beds in type 1 trusts, a decrease of 22 compared to March 2024, and a decrease of 414 compared to the previous month.
• Bed occupancy stood at 93.6%, 0.6 percentage points less than last month, and 0.4 percentage points less than March 2024
• An additional 10,246 would be needed to achieve the safe occupancy rate of 85%

Emergency Department performance data for Scotland, February 2025:

Summary:

• February 2025 was the worst performing February across the board.
• It was the worst February for 4-hour, 8-hour, and 12-hour performance.
• 36.5% waited 4 hours, 13.4% waited 8 hours, and 6% waited 12 hours.
• Very long waits were much less common even 7 years ago. In February 2018, 1% of patients waited 8 hours, and only 0.2% waited 12 hours.
• There was an average of 1,986 beds occupied per day due to delayed discharges, the highest for any February since guidelines changed in 2016.

Data:

• In February 2025, there were 102,068 attendances at Type 1 Emergency Departments (EDs) in Scotland. This is a 4.9% decrease from the previous month.

• • 63.5% of patients were seen within four hours at Type 1 EDs.
    • This is the worst four-hour performance for any February since records began.
  • 37,274 of patients waited over four hours in Type 1 Emergency Departments. This is 8% less than the previous month.
• 13,638 (13.4%) patients waited eight hours or more in EDs.
  • This is the highest proportion of eight hour waits for any February on record.
  • In February 2018, only 1% of patients waited this long.
• 6,072 (6%) of patients waited twelve hours or more in EDs.
  • This is the highest proportion of 12-hour waits for any February since records started.
  • In February 2018, only 0.2% of patients waited this long.
• There was an average of 1,986 beds occupied per day due to delayed discharges, an increase of 22 from the previous month.
  • This is the highest number of beds occupied per day due to people delayed for any February since guidelines changes in 2016.
  • There was a total of 54,487 days spent in hospital by people whose discharge was delayed. This is a 0.2% increase on February 2025 (54,355).

Wales NHS Emergency Department Performance Data – January 2025

Summary:

• one in six patients were delayed by 12 hours or more
• 44% of patients waited four hours or longer in an Emergency Department. 25.1% waited eight hours or longer. And 16.8% of patients waited 12 hours or longer – the highest percentage of 12 hour waits on record.

• In the last 7 years, the numbers of patients waiting four hours and eight hours has increased by more than 1.5 times, and the number of patients waiting 12 hours or longer has more than doubled. This is despite attendance being only 3.8 less than the same period seven years ago.
• The number of adults occupying a hospital bed who experienced a delay of more than 48 hours from the point when they were deemed ready to leave the hospital was 1,502. The most common reason for delay was assessment issues and care home placement delays.

Figures:

• 61,782 people attended major emergency care facilities in January 2025. This is 6.6% lower than last month (66,148).

• Overall, 56% of patients in major EDs were admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours from arrival.

• This is a 1.9 percentage point increase from last month.

• 44% of patients in major EDs waited longer than four hours (27,191 patients). This is 2 percentage points more than the same month last year.
  • The number of patients waiting more than four hours has decreased by 10.5% from last month (30,384).
  • The number of people waiting more than four hours is 1.5 times higher (+54.8%) higher than January 2018 (17,567).

• 25.1% of major ED attendances waited more than eight hours (15,477 patients). This means that a quarter of patients were delayed eight hours or more at a major emergency department.
  • This figure has decreased by 0.9 percentage points compared to last month, but is 1.2 percentage points more than the same month last year.
  • The number of people waiting more than eight hours has increased by more than half (+71%) compared with January 2018 (9,050).

• 16.8% of major ED attendances waited more than 12 hours (10,384 patients). This means that one in six patients were delayed by 12 hours or more.
  • This is 1.3 percentage points more than the same month last year.
  • The number of people waiting more than 12 hours has more than doubled (+103.7%) compared with January 2018 (5,089).
• The number of adults occupying a hospital bed who experienced a delay of more than 48 hours from the point when they were deemed ready to leave the hospital was 1,502
  • This is 46 less than the same month last year, but 67 more than last month.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland Quarter 3 2024/25 (October – December 24) Emergency Department data: 

Summary: 

• 2024 was the worst year on record for 4 hour and 12 hour waiting times. 

• 33.8% of patients were seen within 4 hours – 6.5 percentage points less than quarter 3 the previous year. 

• In December 2024, almost a quarter of patients waited 12 hours or more, 

•  In the year as a whole, 12-hour waits were more than 3 times the number in quarter 3 in 2019. 

• In December, 7.9% of patients left the ED before their treatment was finished – 0.6% higher than December 2023 (7.3%). 

• In quarter 3 for 2024/25, the median time spent by patients discharged home was longest in December 2024  (4 hours 11 minutes) and shortest in October 2024 (3 hours 42 minutes). 

Quarterly Figures: 

• The average number of monthly attendances for this quarter was 53,367, 5,129 more than the same quarter of the previous year. 2024 saw the lowest number of type 1 attendances since the 2020. Despite this, 2024 had the worst waiting time performance on record.  

• On average, 33.8% of patients were seen and resulted in a subsequent admission, transfer, or discharge within four hours for each month. This is a decrease of 6.5 percentage points (pp) compared to the same quarter of the previous year. 

• December 2024, saw the worst 4-hour performance on record, standing at 31.9%. Similarly, 2024 was the worst performing year on record, with an average of 36.4%. 

• On average, 22.2% of patients waited more than 12 hours in an Emergency Department. This is an increase of 4.6 pp compared to the same quarter in 2023/24. It is the worst quarter on record. 

• Almost 1 in 4 patients (22.9%) waited 12 hours or more in December 2024.  

• The number of patients waiting 12 hours or more in a type 1 ED in 2024, was 3 times the number of 2019.  

• During the quarter ending 31 December 2024, the median time patients admitted spent in ED was longest in December 2024 (15 hours 39 minutes) and shortest in November 2024 (14 hours 54 minutes). 

• During this period, the median time spent by patients discharged home was longest in December 2024 (4 hours 11 minutes) and shortest in October 2024 (3 hours 42 minutes). 

• During December 2024, 7.9% (5,013) of all ED attendances left before their treatment was complete, compared with December 2023 (7.3%, 4,292). 

• During December 2024, 5.0% (3,164) of attendances had attended the same ED within 7 days of their original attendance, compared to 3.6% (2,127) in December 2023.