NHS activity and performance summary: February and March 2019

Summary

Average daily A&E attendances increased in March. The percentage of patients spending less than 4 hours in A&E decreased and the number of patients spending more than 12 hours in A&E increased, although performance has improved overall since the record low in March 2018.

The average number of daily calls to the ambulance service decreased in March 2019. The percentage of red calls receiving an emergency response within 8 minutes met the target but was lower than in February 2019. 

The number of patients waiting longer than the target time for diagnostic tests and therapy services decreased in February, while therapy waits over 14 weeks are the lowest they have been since November 2010. Referral to treatment performance improved with an increase in the percentage of patients waiting less than 26 weeks from referral to the start of treatment and a decrease in the number of patients waiting longer than 36 weeks. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) performance also improved.

The percentage of patients starting treatment within target time for cancer decreased for patients on both the urgent suspected cancer pathway and those not on the urgent suspected pathway.

The number of delayed transfers of care increased and the remaining targets for scheduled and unscheduled care were missed.

Average A&E waiting times increased in March and average emergency call responses for ambulances were the same as the previous month. The latest average waiting times for referral to treatment decreased but average waiting times for diagnostic tests and therapy services increased slightly in February.