Accident and emergency service departments across England saw the highest number of attendances ever this March, according to new health service figures.
More than 2.43 million people sought help at A&Es last month – the most on record in over 15 years.
The surge in demand was partly due to the meningitis outbreak in Kent – which saw two students die and many more hospitalised – said officials.
A ‘prolonged winter’ also piled pressure on services.
The previous monthly record for A&E attendances was in May 2024, during a round of NHS doctor strikes. More than a million hospital appointments were rescheduled as a result.
The major meningitis outbreak behind the spike in emergency room visits saw more than 2,000 students receive preventative antibiotics after cases were linked back to ‘super-spreader’ events at the Club Chemistry nightclub in Canterbury, Kent.
Whilst cases have now begun to fall, the decision to expand the MenB vaccination programme to year 11, sixth form and university students saw NHS Kent and Medway administer over 4,500 vaccines in a drive to tackle the deadly outbreak.
In total, the disease has been linked to 159 deaths in the UK in just one year.
Thousands of students queued up for vaccines and antibiotics at the University of Kent in Canterbury
But the latest figures show rates are steadily falling, as more testing revealed some people were wrongly told they were infected.
As of 23 March, there were 20 confirmed cases linked to the outbreak, with a further three under investigation, bringing the total down to 23 from 29.
It comes as Professor Meghana Pandit, England’s top doctor, described the NHS as being ‘within touching distance’ of its elective recovery target, which aims to see 65 per cent of patients treated within 18 weeks by by the end of March.
The last time this target was reached was in November 2021.
While improvements have been made since the previous NHS data drop on A&E waiting times, doctors are cautious that these figures don’t reflect the care patients experience day-to-day.
More than 400,000 patients have been seen since July 2024, bringing the total waiting list down to 7.22 million in February 2026.
NHS data also shows the health service is diagnosing or giving cancer patients the all clear more quickly than any point on record.
Just over 80 per cent of patients with suspected cancer received a diagnosis, or had the disease ruled out, within 28 days in February – the highest proportion in the history of the NHS.
According to the new data, average ambulance response times were 15 minutes faster in December than last winter (File image)
The target is 85 per cent.
Ambulance response times for the most serious incidents, such as suspected heart attacks and strokes, were also the quickest in almost five years – averaging 26 minutes – but were still far below NHS targets of 18 minutes.
Prof Pandit said: ‘I am incredibly proud of the work that NHS staff have put in over the past year to get us within touching distance of our elective recovery target.
‘This progress has been achieved despite the busiest winter on record and disruption caused by industrial action.
‘This shows the determination of staff to get back on delivering on their commitments no matter how challenging the circumstance have been.’
But, she added: ‘Pressure on services remain very high, with more people attending A&E in March than ever before.’
Dr David Griffiths, Chief Medical Officer at Teladoc Health UK and former NHS clinical lead, is concerned that patients are still facing substandard care.
He said: ‘Any reduction in NHS waiting times is welcome, and this week’s Government commitment to bring diagnostic tests and scans closer to home is another encouraging sign.
‘Having said that, as a GP, I’m conscious that the headline figures don’t always reflect what patients are experiencing day to day.
The latest walk out formed the 15th round of strikes by resident doctors in England since 2023 (Medics are pictured striking on March 27)
‘Waiting times remain long and people are still spending long periods waiting for the scans and investigations needed before they can even enter the pathway – and these delays have real consequences such as worsening symptoms, mood issues and functional challenges.’
But health secretary Wes Streeting remains hopeful the NHS is ‘on the road to recovery.’
‘We inherited an NHS going through the worst crisis in its history after years of neglect. Today’s figures show just how far we’ve come,’ he said.
‘Through the government’s investment and modernisation – and thanks to the extraordinary effort of NHS staff across the country – waiting lists are down by over 400,000.
‘We’re diagnosing or giving the all clear to a record number of cancer patients on time- something I am personally invested in as a kidney cancer survivor.
‘Despite record pressures and strikes, we have come within a cat’s whisker of the ambitious targets we set ourselves. But it’s not enough.
‘There are still too many patients waiting far too long.’
It comes as resident doctors this week returned to work after a six-day walkout that is estimated to have cost the NHS £300million in lost activity and overtime.
NHS England labelled the latest round of walkouts, making up the 15th round of strikes by resident doctors in England since 2023, ‘particularly challenging’, putting added pressure on an already strained NHS.
