The NHS seems to come under increasing pressure every year, with an ageing population and historic under-funding taking its toll on waiting times – especially in accident and emergency (A&E) services.
Recently, the Labour government has announced a swathe of NHS reforms – including a focus shift away from hospitals to care centres and a £29–52 billion funding boost – to try and tackle this issue as one of the key mandates the government was elected on. Whether this funding is sufficient has been questioned by many commentators on the left; however, it is an improvement on the investment from the previous Conservative government.
NHS England has recorded the lowest waiting list in two years as of June 2025, and the first April drop since 2008, suggesting a slow recovery and offering hope for those waiting on treatments and operations.
But are A&E statistics telling a similar story?
The most recent A&E statistics, from May 2025, show:
- There were 130,035 delays over 4 hours from decision to admit to admission in May
- This is an average of 4,195 per day, a decrease of 6.3% from the daily average in May 2024.
- Of those 130,035 delays, 42,891 of those delays took more than 12 hours, an increase of 0.8%.
- Emergency admissions are up by 0.1% when compared to last year.
This means that if a person in the UK ends up in A&E over the next year, there is a chance they will wait up to four hours for admission. To uncover the worst months for injuries, Digital Journal spoke to Newcastle medical negligence specialists, Beecham Peacock, who analysed the latest data.
These data have been collected from statistical research supplied by NHS England’s A&E Attendances and Emergency Admissions 2024-25 and A&E Attendances and Emergency Admissions 2025-26.
NHS A&E performance, 2024-current
| Month, 2024-2025 | Admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hours | 4+ hour delays | 12+ hour delays | Emergency admissions | Total attendance |
| June 2024 | 1,711,109 | 128,114 | 38,106 | 536,884 | 2,294,065 |
| July 2024 | 1,745,168 | 129,330 | 36,806 | 552,468 | 2,321,294 |
| August 2024 | 1,649,407 | 116,489 | 28,494 | 525,633 | 2,160,791 |
| September 204 | 1,643,329 | 130,632 | 38,880 | 530,824 | 2,214,217 |
| October 2024 | 1,720,877 | 148,789 | 49,592 | 567,446 | 2,356,189 |
| November 2024 | 1,667,290 | 140,782 | 45,791 | 552,845 | 2,311,229 |
| December 2024 | 1,668,461 | 154,689 | 54,207 | 552,592 | 2,345,934 |
| Jan 2025 | 1,619,384 | 159,582 | 61,529 | 548,775 | 2,218,130 |
| February 2025 | 1,527,760 | 131,237 | 47,623 | 496,095 | 2,081,878 |
| March 2025 | 1,791,316 | 133,957 | 46,766 | 551,129 | 2,389,064 |
| April 2025 | 1,716,559 | 132,040 | 44,881 | 529,177 | 2,295,820 |
| May 2025 | 1,806,359 | 130,035 | 42,891 | 545,940 | 2,395,886 |
“Using the data collated above, we’ve worked out the best and worst months to find yourself in A&E,” says Vicki Wanless, medical negligence solicitor at Beecham Peacock. This was calculated by considering the following factors, while also considering the number of emergency admissions as an indicator of severity.
- The percentage of patients seen within 4 hours (higher equalling better)
- The percentage of patients facing 12+ hour delays (lower equalling better)
- Total attendance (lower equalling better)
The BEST months to be injured
Finding yourself in A&E is never a good thing, yet current statistics suggest there are months when an individual would be more fortunate to find themselves in a waiting room compared with others.
3. April
“Just under 75% of attendees are seen within four hours during the month of April, and 12-plus hour delays remain rare at 1.95% – making it the third-best month to become injured,” says Wanless.
“This is despite moderate levels of attendance (2,295,280) and is generally better than expected, coming out of the colder months, which tend to have higher rates of injury – such as increased slips, trips and falls due to poor weather.”
2. May
“The second-best month to find yourself in A&E, May has very good odds of being seen within four hours – sitting at 75.4%. There’s also just a 1.79% chance you’ll be delayed over 12 hours, meaning extreme instances of A&E delays are rare during May,” Wanless explains.
1. August
“Over the last year, August was the ‘best’ month to have needed to visit A&E – being the time you were more likely to receive an efficient service,” says Wanless. “76.3% of those who attended were admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hours, and this month included the lowest total attendances of the year, meaning less pressure on the system.”
The WORST months to be injured
3. October
“October sees a marked rise in emergency admissions and delays, as the NHS begins to feel the strain of incoming winter demand,” explains Wanless. “Just over 73% of patients are seen within four hours, and 2.10% of people wait more than 12 hours – both figures trending in the wrong direction.
“With attendances climbing (2,356,189) and the weather beginning to turn, October is often the start of a difficult season for A&E departments.”
2. December
“December has long been a pressure point for the NHS, with increased accidents affecting A&E wait times. This is from all manner of reasons, including people getting a little too merry during the Christmas season, poor weather increasing trips and falls, and darker nights affecting awareness,” says Wanless.
“Last year, only 71.1% of attendees were seen within the four-hour target, and 2.31% waited over 12 hours. These are some of the worst figures of the year – with holiday demand, flu season, and higher injury rates all converging, delays become far more likely.”
1. January
“January ranks as the worst month to find yourself in A&E, with the lowest percentage of patients seen within four hours (73%) and the highest proportion of 12-hour delays (2.77%),” says Wanless. “It’s the peak of winter pressure, with high levels of illness and injury, and emergency services at full stretch.
“This is unsurprising,” Wanless continues, “as we often see an increase in medical negligence claim enquiries in the following weeks/months, mainly due to accidents sustained during January. It’s simple, really – strained services put more pressure on staff, increasing the likelihood of human error.”
