2.5 million at A&E, almost 66% within 18 weeks: England's NHS has a record month and a better ledger

England’s NHS published its monthly figures on Thursday, and two lines sit side by side that rarely do. October was the busiest month ever for A&E, with more than 2.5 million attendances¹. And in September almost 66% of patients on the waiting list had been waiting less than 18 weeks, the highest share since September 2021¹.

The front door. Ambulance crews responded to almost 870,000 incidents in October, an average of 28,046 a day, which NHS England says is 7.7% above the 26,032 daily average of October 2025¹. Desk arithmetic: 28,046 a day is about 19.5 incidents a minute, around the clock. Urgent community response teams delivered 169,410 care contacts in August, 2.7% more than a year earlier, care that happens at home rather than on a trolley¹.

The back office. The elective side improved even though a record number of people were referred onto the list, NHS England says, helped by a record number of diagnostic scans and tests for September¹. The government counts 30.6 million diagnostic tests, checks and scans over the past 12 months¹. That is the unglamorous machinery that shortens a queue: scanners booked, results read, letters sent.

The talking points, labelled. “Performance on the waiting list is the best it’s been for more than half a decade,” said national medical director Frankie Swords¹. Health secretary Yvette Cooper said pressures “will increase” as winter arrives and announced a £40 million GP programme to help frail elderly people stay well at home, plus a wider Pharmacy First scheme¹. Ministers always say both things in November; the figures in February will show which one was right.

For you. A record month at the front door is partly a measure of how many people could not be helped elsewhere. The NHS’s own advice is plain: use A&E and 999 for life-threatening care, pharmacies, 111 and 111 online for the rest, and take the vaccinations you are eligible for¹.