Stephen Morgan MP the news that waiting lists in Portsmouth have fallen in January amidst the backdrop of huge pressure on local services over the winter months.
Data released today saw national waiting lists fall by 43,000 in January, representing a fall of 374,000 over the past 18 months.
Data released today also showed that waiting times at A&E are at their shortest for four years, and ambulance response times are the fastest for half a decade. Waits for patients with heart attacks and stroke are down to less than 29 minutes on average.
The progress comes against the backdrop of 2025 being the NHS’s busiest ever year. A&E attendances last year reached 27.8 million, up by 367,000 on 2024, with 2.33 million attendances in December alone.
In the year since the Elective Reform Plan was launched, Labour have brought in record investment and real modernisation to cut waiting lists – including creating more evening and weekend clinics, new and expanded community diagnostic centres and surgical hubs, crack teams of experts being sent to 20 hospital trusts across England with the highest levels of economic inactivity, and cutting unnecessary appointments by sending patients “straight to test” rather than multiple clinic visits.
Commenting, Stephen Morgan, MP for Portsmouth South, said:
“I’m so grateful to NHS staff here in Portsmouth who have worked tirelessly to cut waiting lists despite huge demand on services.
“Thanks to Labour’s record investment in our NHS, the modernisation of services, and the Elective Reform Plan, more patients in Portsmouth are receiving a faster diagnosis, quicker treatment, or getting the all-clear sooner.
“Behind every number, a friend, a family member, a colleague, is being seen quicker by our NHS. That’s the difference a Labour government makes.”
Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said:
“After years of rising waiting times, patients are finally starting to see things move in the right direction – with waiting lists at their lowest level for almost 3 years and more people getting treated within 18 weeks.
“Despite record demand this winter, A&E and ambulance services improved – meaning patients are getting help faster when they need it most, thanks to the hard work of NHS staff, better planning and modernisation.
“But we won’t take our foot off the gas. We’ll keep cutting waiting times, backing NHS staff and making sure patients get the high-quality care they deserve. Only Labour will fix our NHS”
