Ambulance response times and A&E waits are the worst on record, though the number of people on the NHS waiting list has fallen slightly, new figures show.
The data from NHS England shows the average response time in December for ambulances dealing with the most urgent incidents, defined as calls from people with life-threatening illnesses or injuries, was 10 minutes and 57 seconds.
This is the worst performance on record and is set against a target of seven minutes.
The figures for England also showed a record 54,532 people waited more than 12 hours in A&E departments last month from a decision to admit to actually being admitted.
And the proportion of patients seen within four hours in England’s A&Es fell to a record low of 65% in December.
Elsewhere, the waiting list for routine treatment such as cataract operations and hip replacements has fallen slightly from a record 7.21 million people to 7.19 million.
It comes a day after up to 25,000 ambulance workers walked out on strike in a dispute with the Government over pay.
More strikes are scheduled, with nurses due to walk out next Wednesday and Thursday, and another ambulance strike the week after, on January 23.
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