NHS Performance Tracker

January A&E performance data

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

Summary

• There were 1,359,026 attendances to type-1 EDs, a 5% decrease from the previous

• In major EDs, the four-hour stood at 57.7%, up 2.4pp from the previous month as well as up 2.3pp compared to January 2024.
• There were 400,481 type 1 admissions, a decrease of 10,680 compared to the previous month.
• 29.5% of type 1 attendances were admitted
• There were 61,529 12-hour trolley waits, the highest number on record of any month, this accounts for 11.2% of admissions

• 172,515 patients waited 12 hours or more in type 1 departments, the third highest of any month of record.
• There were 101,829 available general & acute beds in type 1 acute trusts, a decrease of 1,285 compared to January 2024.
• Bed occupancy stood at 94.2%, 1.2 percentage points higher than the previous month, and 1.5 more than January 2024.

• There was a daily average of 13,688 patients who no longer met the criteria to reside in hospital but still remained.

January 2025:

• There were 1,359,026 attendances to type-1 EDs, a 5% decrease from the previous month and a 0.3% decrease from January 2024.
• 73% of patients were transferred, admitted, or discharged within four hours, an increase of 1.9 percentage points (pp) compared to the previous month and a 2.3 pp increase from January 2024.
• In major EDs, this figure stood at 57.7%, up 2.4pp from the previous month as well as up 2.3pp compared to January 2024.
• There were 548,775 admissions (all), a decrease of 3,817 compared to the previous month.
• There were 400,481 type 1 admissions, a decrease of 10,680 compared to the previous month.
• 29.5% of type 1 attendances were admitted
• There were 159,582 4-hour trolley waits, the second highest number on record. This accounts for 29% of admissions.
• There were 61,529 12-hour trolley waits, the highest number on record of any month, this accounts for 11.2% of admissions

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

172,515 patients waited 12 hours or more in type 1 departments, the third highest of any month of record.

• This is an increase 5,526 patients compared to December
• It is a decrease of 5,290 compared to January 2024

• 7% of patients waited 12 hours or more, the second highest for January on record, and the third highest proportion of any month on record.

Bed Data

• There were 101,829 available general & acute beds in type 1 acute trusts, an increase of 1,349 compared to December, but a decrease of 1,285 compared to January 2024.
• Bed occupancy stood at 94.2%, 1.2 percentage points higher than the previous month, and 1.5 more than January 2024.
• In January 2025, there was a daily average of 13,688 patients who no longer met the criteria to reside in hospital but still remained.
• An additional 11,069 available beds would have been required to reach safe occupancy of 85%

Delayed discharges

• In January 2025, there was a daily average of 13,688 patients who no longer met the criteria to reside in hospital but still remained.

Scotland

Data analysis for January 2025

Summary:

• January 2025 was the second worst January on record for 4-hour, 8-hour, and 12-hour performance. In Type 1 Emergency Departments, 37.7% of patients waited four hours or more, 15.5% waited eight hours or more, and 7.8% waited 12 hours or more.
• Dangerously long waits have increased significantly since the 2010s. Seven years ago, in January 2018, only 2.7% of patients waited eight hours or more and 0.7% of people waited 12 hours or more in Type 1 Emergency Departments.
• There was an average of 1,964 beds occupied per day due to delayed discharges, the most for any January since guidelines changed in 2016.

Data:

• In January 2025, there were 107,355 attendances at Type 1 Emergency Departments (EDs) in Scotland. This is a 4.3% decrease from the previous month.

• • 62.3% of patients were seen within four hours at Type 1 EDs.
    • This is the second worst four-hour performance for any January since records began (second to January 2024 when the figure was 62%).
  • 40,552 of patients waited over four hours in Type 1 Emergency Departments. This is 13% less than the previous month.
• 16,684 (15.54%) patients waited eight hours or more in EDs.
  • This is the second highest proportion of eight hour waits for any January on record.
  • In January 2018, only 2.7% of patients waited this long.
• 8,401 (7.83%) patients waited twelve hours or more in EDs.
  • This is the second highest proportion of 12-hour waits for any January on record. It is only marginally better than the previous worst, which was January 2024 (7.83).
  • In January 2018, only 0.7% of patients waited this long.
• There was an average of 1,964 beds occupied per day due to delayed discharges, a decrease of 27 from the previous month.
  • This is the highest number of beds occupied per day due to people delayed for any January since guidelines changes in 2016.
  • There was a total of 60,872 days spent in hospital by people whose discharge was delayed. This is a 5.2% increase on January 2024 (57,860).

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.