The NHS has revealed that it has experienced its busiest summer on record for accident and emergency (A&E) departments in England, with 6.8 million attendances over the three-month period from June to August. This marks an increase of 240,776 compared to the same period last year, as NHS staff continue to manage growing demand for urgent care services.
As the NHS prepares for a challenging winter, data shows a surge in A&E admissions, with 525,633 emergency admissions recorded in August 2024, up from 523,881 in August 2023. Despite this increased pressure, NHS staff managed to admit, transfer, or discharge 76.3% of A&E patients within four hours, a 3.3 percentage point improvement from August 2023 and the highest performance since August 2021.
Ambulance services have also faced growing demand, with 730,669 incidents attended in August, including 73,630 Category 1 calls – the most serious emergencies. While response times for Category 1 calls remain longer than the national seven-minute standard, the average response time has improved to 8 minutes 3 seconds, down from 8 minutes 17 seconds in August last year. Response times for Category 2 incidents also improved, dropping to 27 minutes 25 seconds, compared to 31 minutes 30 seconds in August 2023.
Cancer care saw improvements as well, with the NHS meeting its faster cancer diagnosis standard for the third consecutive month. Over 220,000 people received an all-clear or definitive diagnosis within 28 days, and July 2024 marked the busiest month on record for cancer referrals, with 286,720 urgent referrals processed. Cancer treatments increased by 15% compared to the same month last year, with a record 58,875 cancer treatments carried out in July.
Despite these advancements, the NHS continues to face significant challenges, including a backlog of 7.62 million patients waiting for elective care. However, the number of people waiting over a year for treatment has dropped to 290,326, the lowest since December 2020.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS National Medical Director, praised NHS staff for their efforts but warned of the potential impact of seasonal viruses like RSV, covid, and flu, which could lead to a “tripledemic” during the winter months. We are hugely grateful to NHS staff for their continuing efforts, and important improvements have been made in ambulance response times, long waits for treatment, and cancer diagnosis. But it is clear that waits across a range of services remain unacceptable, and there is much more to do to deliver more timely care for those who need it,” he said.
The NHS has begun vaccination campaigns against RSV, flu, and covid in preparation for the winter, hoping to alleviate some of the expected strain on services.
As the NHS works to manage growing demand and prepare for winter, the organization is committed to working with the government on a 10-year plan aimed at improving care and reducing wait times for patients.
