NHS Performance Tracker

December A&E performance data

Summary

• The number of patients experiencing waits longer than 12 hours in December 2024 (166,989) has increased by 10.4% from December 2023 (151,295).
• The average number of days for patients discharged 1+ days after their discharge-ready-date was 5.9. This is the first time since the publication of discharge-ready-date data that this average has fallen below six days.
• Bed occupancy stood at 93%. While this is a decrease of 1.1 percentage points from the previous month, it remains unchanged from December 2023, despite an additional 1,289 beds being available.
• For type 1 four hour performance, the figure was 55.3%, the lowest type 1 performance this year, in fact it is the worst month since December 2022.
• There was a 15.79 percentage point difference between type 1 four-hour performance and all. This is the highest difference on record, representing the ways in which performance between these two groups is diverging.

Supplementary ECDS Analysis December 2024 final (12-hour length of stay data measured from the time of arrival) data shows:

• 166,989 patients waited 12 hours or more in type-1 Eds this month. This is an increase of 10.8% from the previous month and an increase of 10.4% from December 2023.
• 12% of total attendances experienced a wait of 12 hours or more, which is an increase of 1.3 percentage points from the previous month and a 0.7pp increase from December 2023.

The latest Emergency Department performance figures published by NHS England for December 2024 for show:

• There were 2,345,934 attendances to all departments, the highest for any December on record.
• There were 1,440,311 attendances to type 1 departments, the second highest for December on record.
• On average type 1 departments saw an additional 1,820 patients each day compared to December last year.
• The four-hour standard stood at 71.1% for all departments, a slight improvement of 1.7 percentage points compared to December 2023
• For type 1 departments this figure was 55.3%, the lowest type 1 performance this year, in fact it is the worst month since December 2022.
• This December has seen 16,052 more patients waiting four hours or more in type 1 departments compared to December 2023.
• There were 154,689 four-hour trolley waits, almost 14,000 more than the previous month (November 2024) and an increase to 6400 compared to December of last year.
• More than a third of those four-hour trolley waits became
• There were 552,592 admissions, 411,161 of which were type 1. This represents an increase of 4,328 type 1 admissions compared to December 2023. Despite this, the percentage of attendances who were admitted fell by 0.9 percentage points to 28.5%
• Type 3 attendances as proportion of all attendances were 36.7%, the highest for any December on record.
• There was a 15.79 percentage point difference between type 1 four-hour performance and all. This is the highest difference on record, representing the ways in which performance between these two groups is diverging.

Beds data for December 2024 shows:

• 100,480 beds were available, which is 331 beds more than November 2024 and 1,289 more than December 2023.
• Bed occupancy stood at 93%, which is 1.1 percentage points lower than the previous month but unchanged from December 2023.
• It would require 9,471 more beds to bring occupancy down to the safe level of 85%.

Discharge Delays (November 2024)

• Out of 135 trusts, 121 provided acceptable data on the length of time between patients becoming medically fit for discharge and being discharged, for patients discharged in November 2024.
• 7% of patients were discharged on the same day as their discharge-ready-date. This is the exact same percentage as October 2024, though it is an increase of 0.5pp from November 2023.
• 3% of patients were discharged 1+ days after their discharge ready date.
• The average number of days for patients discharged 1+ days after their discharge-ready-date was 5.9. This is the first time since the publication of discharge-ready-date data that this average has fallen below six days.

Scotland

Emergency Department performance data for Scotland, November 2024:

Summary:

• 8- and 12- hour waiting times have improved slightly since last month. But the proportion of waits 4 hours or more has increased.
• Despite improving slightly since last month, long waits have increased significantly since the 2010s. Seven years ago, in November 2017, only 151 people waited 12 hours or more in Emergency Departments across Scotland. In November 2024, 6,429 people waited this long.
• Since November 2017, the numbers waiting four hours or more has increased by 5 times, eight hours or more by 18 times, and 12 hours or more by 42 times. Despite attendance increasing by only 0.2% in the same period.

Data:

• In November 2024, there were 110,332 attendances at major Emergency Departments in Scotland. This is a 3.7 decrease from the previous month.
  • 62.3% of patients were seen within four hours at major (Type 1) Emergency Departments. This is the worst four-hour performance for any November since records began in 2011.
  • 41,550 (37.7%) of patients waited over four hours in major Emergency Departments.
  • The number waiting more than four hours is almost 5 times the number in November 2017 (8,315)

• 14,226 (12.9%) patients waited eight hours or more in Emergency Departments.
  • This is the second highest proportion of eight hour waits for any November on record.
  • The numbers waiting more than eight hours is more than 18 times the number in November 2017 (784).

• 6,429 (5.8%) patients waited twelve hours or more in Emergency Departments.
  • This is the highest proportion of 12-hour waits for any November on record.
  • The numbers waiting more than 12 hours was 42 times the number in November 2017 (151).
• Monthly delayed discharge data for November is not available until 14^th January.

Wales NHS Emergency Department Performance Data – November 2024

Summary:

• The proportion of patients waiting four-, eight-, and 12-hours or more has all increased compared to November 2023.
• 43% of patients waited four hours or longer in an Emergency Department. 23.3% waited eight hours or longer. And 14.7% of patients waited 12 hours or longer.

• In the last 7 years, the numbers waiting four hours or more increased by double, the numbers waiting more than eight hours has increased by more than 2.5 times, and the numbers waiting more than 12 hours has more than tripled. This is despite attendance only increasing by 1.1% in the same period.
• 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 1,473. The most common reason for delay was assessment issues and care home placement delays.

Figures:

• 66,533 people attended major emergency care facilities in November 2024. This is 3.2% lower than last month (68,750).

• Overall, 57% of patients in major EDs were admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours from arrival.

• This is a 0.5 percentage-point increase from last month.

• 43% of patients in major EDs waited longer than four hours (28,634 patients). This is 1.1 percentage points more than the same month last year.
  • The number of patients waiting more than four hours has decreased by 4.3% from last month (29,924).
  • The number of people waiting more than four hours has increased by double (+105%) compared with November 2017 (14,002).

• 23.3% of major ED attendances waited more than eight hours (15,497 patients). This means that nearly a quarter of patients were delayed eight hours or more at a major emergency department.
  • This figure has decreased by 0.1 percentage points compared to last month. But is 0.7 percentage points more than the same month last year.

• The number of people waiting more than eight hours has increased by 2 and a half times (+151%) compared with November 2017 (6,186).

• 14.7% of major ED attendances waited more than 12 hours (9,749 patients). This means that one in seven patients were delayed by 12 hours or more.
  • This is 0.9 percentage points more than the same month last year.
  • The number of people waiting more than 12 hours has more than tripled (+211%) compared with November 2017 (3,135).
• 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 1,473.
  • This is 94 less than the same month last year and 73 less than last month.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland Quarter 2 2024/25 (July-September 24) Emergency Department data:

See Flourish slides.

Summary:

• We are heading into a disastrous winter for EDs in Northern Ireland from what has already been a disastrous summer and early autumn.

• Despite being some of the warmest months of the year, July to September 2024 was the worst quarter on record for 12-hour performance in Northern Ireland.
  • More than one in five patients (20.6%) waited 12 hours or longer in an ED. In Quarter 2 2017/18, this figure was only 1%.
  • 21.5% of patients waited this long in September.

• In September, the median time that admitted patients waited in the ED was 16 hours and 30 minutes. Evidence shows that it is dangerous for sick patients to wait for long periods in the ED.

• Four-hour performance saw a very slight improvement on last Quarter. But it was still the third worst quarter ever, with more than 60% of patients waiting longer than four-hours in the ED.

Figures:

• The average number of monthly attendances for this quarter was 51,409. 4% less than last quarter.

• On average, 37.4% of patients were seen and resulted in a subsequent admission, transfer, or discharge within four hours for each month.
  • This was 0.5 percentage points more than the previous quarter average. But 1.1 percentage points less than the same quarter last year.
  • More than 60% of patients waited longer than four hours in the ED.
  • September was the second worst month ever for four-hour performance. Only 36.4% of patients were seen in four hours.

• On average, 20.6% of patients waited more than 12 hours in an Emergency Department.
  • This is the worst quarter 12-hour performance since records began.
  • It means more than one in five patients had to wait longer than 12 hours in the ED.
  • A total of 31,786 people waited longer than 12 hours.. This is 19 times more than Quarter 2 17/18.

• The quarter average for the monthly median time that admitted patients spent in an Emergency Department was 15 hours and 10 minutes.
  • This is the longest wait time on record. In September, the median time spent in ED by admitted patients was 16 hours and 30 minutes.
  • Non-admitted patients spent on average 4 hours 27 minutes in the ED.