Biggest monthly drop in treatment lists but A&E waits rise again

The number of patients waiting for NHS treatment in Wales has seen its biggest monthly drop on record, the latest Welsh Government figures have shown.

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But the figures also show people are spending more time in emergency (A&E) departments with the mean time more than five hours.

The most recent data for November 2025 shows that there were around 757,900 patients on treatment waiting lists in Wales. This is a drop of just over 23,400 from 781,240 open patient pathways in October. It comes after the Welsh Government announced it would pump £120m of funding into ensuring people were seen quicker last June.

While there was an improvement on the long waiting lists, the number of people waiting longer than the four-hour target in A&E departments remains a problem.

The latest statistics show the mean wait in A&E in Wales was five hours and 41 minutes in December.