The data showed the overall waiting fell to 7.29m from 7.31m in November, the lowest level since February 2023.

The fall came despite the busiest winter on record with 18.4m treatments and operations in 2025, up from 18m in 2024.

There were 91,775 treatments delivered in December (1.43m) despite five days of industrial action by resident doctors, thanks to staff maintaining almost 95% of usual activity during strikes.

The percentage of people waiting over 18 weeks for treatment slightly decreased to 61.5% (against the March 2026 interim target of 65%), however, the percentage of those waiting over 52 weeks dropped to just 1.9% - the lowest since June 2020.

A&E staff experienced a record high January of 2,320,266 A&E attendances - 4.6% higher than in January 2025 - while ambulance staff faced a record number of incidents across December and January.

There were 206,800 more people admitted, transferred or discharged in less than 4 hours in Type 1 A&E Departments across winter so far this year when compared to last year (3.4m in October 2025 to January 2026 vs 3.2m in October 2024 to January 2025).

Four-hour NHS performance has been at 73.5% across winter so far – up from 72.1% last year and less than 70% the year before.

Ambulance response times were quicker than last winter – with both Category 1 and Category 2 response times down on last year (C1 8:08 and C2 35:04 in January 2026 vs C1 8:16 and C2 35:39 in January 2025).

An average of 1,119 patients were in hospital with flu and 929 with norovirus each day last week.

Staff carried out 2.37m cancer tests and checks in December alongside 77.4% of people receiving the all-clear or a cancer diagnosis within 4 weeks of an urgent suspected cancer referral – the highest proportion in nine months (76.7% in April 2025).

The Government's National Cancer Plan last week pledged to reach all cancer waiting time standards by 2029.

Health and social care secretary, Wes Streeting said: ‘Whether it's by opening up new community diagnostic centres, rolling out surgical hubs to tackle backlogs, or investing in modern equipment and technology, we are rebuilding our NHS.'

‘There's so much more to do, but people can take hope and optimism from the fact that the NHS is finally on the road to recovery.'

‘Mixed picture'

Tim Gardner, assistant director of policy at The Health Foundation, said the data painted a ‘mixed picture' with a drop in the waiting list in December offset over 71,000 trolley waits of over 12 hours in January – the worst month since current records began in 2010 and a fall in four-hour compliance to 72.5% - the worst since December 2024.

Nuffield Trust deputy director of research, Sarah Scobie, said: ‘Pressure is building to meet the March target for having under 22% of patients facing waits longer than four hours in A&E. In the latest data for January, it stands at around 28%, which is substantially worse than the previous month. Making a 6% improvement by spring may not sound like much, but the NHS has struggled to make even tiny incremental improvements in recent months, despite staff working flat out. Even if this target is met, it won't address the dreadfully long waits patients are experiencing in A&E corridors after a decision to admit them has been made.'

Tim Mitchell, president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: ‘Our latest workforce census shows that access to operating theatres is the single biggest barrier to delivering care and a £15.9bn maintenance backlog means too many NHS buildings and theatres are simply not fit for purpose.  

‘While it is good to see some improvement today, to meet the Government's waiting‑time targets we need sustained investment in modern operating theatres, ring‑fenced surgical beds, and the surgical workforce - surgeons, anaesthetists and theatre staff - required to run them. Without this, waiting lists will not fall quickly enough, and patients will continue to wait far longer than they should.'

Rory Deighton, acute and community care director speaking on behalf of NHS Providers and the NHS Confederation, said: ‘NHS leaders are under no illusions that there is a long way to go if the service is to consistently hit its key performance targets, despite good progress so far. Prevention is better than cure and we need to do more to shift care closer to people's homes. Continued improvements will also require sustained focus, realistic planning and ongoing support, especially in the context of workforce pressures, constrained finances and the potential for yet more industrial action.'