RCP responds to NHS England performance statistics showing busiest month for A&E attendances

Figures released today by NHS England show March 2026 as the busiest month on record for A&E attendances in England, reaching 2.43 million. Over 46,000 patients in February 2026 spent over 12 hours from the decision to admit until they were admitted to hospital.

Professor Mumtaz Patel, RCP president, said: “Today’s figures show the very real and sustained pressures on emergency departments. While it is welcome to see another fall in the number of patients waiting over 12 hours from a decision to admit from recent previous months, it is still far too high. We know many of those 46,000 patients will have received care in a temporary environment, like a corridor, which is unsafe, undignified, and unacceptable.

“The national data on corridor care we are expecting to be published next month will, for the first time, expose the true scale of the problem, providing transparency and accountability. The RCP’s calls for year-round corridor care data were instrumental in the commitment to publish the data and we look forward to seeing that promise delivered.”