NHS Performance Tracker

February A&E performance data

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

Summary

• There were 1,271,336 attendances to type-1 EDs.
• In all types of ED, 73.4% of patients were transferred, admitted, or discharged within four hours, while in major EDs this was 58.4%
• There were 362,605 type-1 admissions, meaning that 28.5% of type-1 attendances were admitted.
• There were 47,623 12-hour trolley waits (all ED types), an increase of 3,206 (6.7%) compared to February 2024
• 141,493 attendances waited 12 hours or more in type 1 departments from their time of arrival, 7,582 (5%) fewer than February 2024.
  • While it appears that the number of 12-hour attendances has decreased compared to last year, February 2025 also had 75,961 fewer attendances than February 2024
• Bed occupancy stood at 94.2%, same as last month.
• there was a daily average of 13,717 patients who no longer met the criteria to reside but remained in hospital

February 2025:

• There were 1,271,336 attendances to type-1 EDs, a decrease of 75,961 (5.5%) from February 2024.
• In all types of ED, 73.4% of patients were transferred, admitted, or discharged within four hours, an increase of 0.4 percentage points (pp) compared to the previous month and an increase of 2.5pp from February 2024.
• In type-1 EDs, four-hour performance stood at 58.4%, up by 0.7pp from the previous month and a 1.9pp increase from February 2024
• There were 496,095 admissions (all ED types), a decrease of 52,680 (9.5%) from the previous month and 31,249 (5.9%) fewer than February 2024
• There were 362,605 type-1 admissions, a decrease of 37,876 (9.4%) from the previous month and 19,528 (5.1%) fewer than February 2024
• 5% of type-1 attendances were admitted.
• There were 131,237 4-hour trolley waits (all ED types), a decrease of 28,345 (17.8%) compared to the previous month and 8,221 (5.9%) fewer than February 2024.
• There were 47,623 12-hour trolley waits (all ED types), a decrease of 13,906 (22.6%) compared to the previous month, but an increase of 3,206 (6.7%) compared to February 2024.

Supplementary ECDS Analysis February 2025 final (12-hour length of stay data measured from the time of arrival) data shows

• 141,493 attendances waited 12 hours or more in type 1 departments from their time of arrival. This is a decrease of 31,022 from the previous month, and 7,582 (5%) fewer than February 2024.
• 3% of attendances waited 12 hours or more, a decrease of 1.4pp from the previous month, but the same percentage as February 2024
• While it appears that the number of 12-hour attendances has decreased compared to last year, February 2025 also had 75,961 fewer attendances than February 2024.

Bed Data

• There were 101,575 available general & acute beds in type 1 trusts, a decrease of 254 compared to the previous month, and 1,833 fewer than February 2024.
• Bed occupancy stood at 94.2%, the exact same as the previous month and 0.1pp higher than February 2024.
• An additional 11,023 available beds would have been required to reach safe occupancy of 85%

Delayed discharges

• In February 2025, there was a daily average of 13,717 patients who no longer met the criteria to reside but remained in hospital.

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.