Overview
- NHS England said Thursday that A&E attendances hit a record 2.43 million in March, with a meningitis outbreak in Kent that killed two students helping drive the surge.
- Even with the spike, 77.1% of patients were seen within four hours in March, the best since July 2021, and 12-hour waits fell to 136,201.
- The waiting list for planned care fell for a fourth month to 7.22 million treatments at the end of February, and people waiting over a year dropped to 122,668, the lowest since August 2020.
- Progress on other measures also picked up, with 62.6% treated within 18 weeks at the end of February and category two ambulance responses averaging 26 minutes 18 seconds, the fastest since 2021.
- Health Secretary Wes Streeting and NHS leaders praised staff and said the service is recovering under heavy demand and recent strike action.