Press Release – East Kent sees waiting lists drop by Almost 9,000 in November – as England sees second biggest drop in the waiting list in 15 years

Sojan Joseph MP today thanked NHS staff at the William Harvey Hospital and across East Kent Hospitals for their hard work in continuing to get waiting lists down, as the Labour government marked a year since the publication of its Elective Reform Plan designed to cut waits.

Across England, the NHS saw the waiting list fall by more than 86,000 in November to 7.31 million and by 8936 at Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust since the election, as new national data today shows staff faced record demand in 2025,

The progress came despite the NHS’s busiest ever year, with 27.8 million A&E attendances in 2025 – over 367,000 up 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.

But Mr. Joseph warned that winter pressures continue to persist as hospitals battle the flu and urged anyone eligible in Ashford and across Kent that it’s not too late to take up the flu vaccine to protect themselves and others.

Sojan Joseph, Labour MP for Ashford, said:

“NHS staff at the William Harvey and across Ashford, Hawkinge, and the Villages have worked incredibly hard to reduce the waiting list while seeing record patient numbers last year.

“As a former NHS worker, I have made reducing NHS waiting times one of my top priorities since entering Parliament and I am delighted to see Labour delivering.

“Thanks to this Labour government’s Elective Reform Plan, our record investment and modernisation, 8,936 more patients got a faster diagnosis in East Kent and received quicker treatment or the all-clear over the last 12 months.

“This is despite services facing consistently high levels of pressure and experiencing another record year for A&E and ambulances.

“It won’t be immediate, but Labour is fixing our health services in Ashford and making them fit for the future.”

Ends

Notes:

Local NHS waiting list data can be found here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2025-26/