NHS delivers record drop in waiting list

The latest waiting time figures, published today, show the average waiting time for treatment is now around 18 weeks – down from 23 weeks in August 2024 and the lowest since the pandemic started.

They also reveal:

• The biggest monthly fall in the waiting list in January 2026 – down 27,900.
• This is the eighth month in a row the waiting list has fallen – the most sustained period of reduction on record.
• The waiting list is now at its lowest level since April 2022.

Long waits of more than two-years continue to fall – a reduction of 19,000 pathways between August 2024 and January 2026.

Health boards have also delivered an extra 187,000 outpatient appointments and a record-breaking 37,000 cataract operations to date, as a result of changes to make the NHS more productive, backed up with £120m additional funding this year from the Welsh Government.

Health Secretary Jeremy Miles will today visit the day surgery unit at Prince Philip Hospital, in Llanelli, to see how Welsh Government funding is helping Hywel Dda University Health Board tackle waiting times. Fewer than 1% of pathways are waiting more than a year for a first outpatient appointment or two years for treatment.

He said: “This set of record-breaking figures show just how hard the NHS is working. Health boards are delivering more outpatient appointments, especially in the evenings and at weekends, and more operations, including cataract surgery - new ways of working to make sure people are seen and treated faster.

“The waiting list has fallen for the eighth month in a row, a new record reduction, and the longest waits are down yet again. This is real, tangible progress for people in Wales. 

“We are determined to keep driving down waiting times and I expect to see significant further improvements in the weeks ahead to ensure that everyone gets the care they need, when they need it.”

The ambulance service recorded its best response time in February for people experiencing a cardiac or respiratory arrest since the new model was introduced in July, at 6 minutes and 50 seconds.

Ambulance patient handover times are also improving with fewer delays at hospital emergency departments in February. The figures show the time spent handing over patients safely at emergency departments fell by 21% compared to February last year. This helped see a 38-minute improvement on average in response to patients in the orange category, including those with strokes or heart attacks.

Winter pressures continue to be experienced by the NHS with ongoing high demand for emergency care – emergency department attendances in February were the second highest on record for that month.

The Welsh Government has been clear with health boards and partners of the need for a sustained focus on flow, discharge and community capacity to help improve experience and quality of emergency care.