“Huge Moment” As The Health Service Hits 18-Week Target Amid Half-A-Million Waiting List Drop

The NHS has hit its target for the number of patients waiting 18-weeks thanks to the biggest improvement in waiting times since the launch of the iPad.

In March, 65.3% of patients were waiting 18-weeks, as the waiting list fell by over 312,000 last year, the largest year-on-year reduction in 16 years.

The improvement in performance by 6.4% since July 2024 means approaching half a million (450,000) fewer people were waiting over 18 weeks for NHS treatment in March this year.

The NHS also recorded its best year on record for elective care, with more than half a million (506,000) more people starting treatment or completing care compared with last year, taking the total to over 18.6 million in the last 12 months.

The overall waiting list fell to 7.11 million, the lowest in 3.5 years and down by over half a million (515,000) since July 2024.

The number of patients facing the longest waits for NHS treatment is also at its lowest for 6 years (since July 20). The number people waiting more than a year has dropped by almost half (48%) in the last 12-months, and by over 69% (208,000) from the start of July 2024.

The dramatic turnaround comes as the NHS delivered more tests, checks and scans over the last financial year than at any point in its history, carrying out a record 29.9 million diagnostic procedures.

It also came amid relentless pressure on frontline services, with the NHS facing record demand in A&E, soaring ambulance callouts and unprecedented numbers of GP appointments over the past year.

While health leaders also faced 3 rounds of industrial action, with NHS analysis showing strikes in 2025/26 led to the loss of an estimated 171,776 appointments and procedures.

NHS Chief Executive Officer, Sir Jim Mackey said: “This is a huge moment for the NHS. Hitting our targets for the first time in years hasn’t happened by accident – it’s been down to an absolutely enormous effort from NHS staff up and down the country.

“Today’s achievement goes beyond a set of remarkable statistics – it shows that we’re making real inroads on the things that matter to our patients and communities.
“That our staff have been able to achieve this in a year that’s seen the busiest NHS winter on record, that’s been interrupted though industrial action and that’s since the biggest shake-up of the NHS in its history makes today’s achievement all the more extraordinary.”

Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting said: “Our plan for the NHS is working. This is the biggest cut in waiting lists in a single month in 17 years. It means we are right on track to deliver the fastest reduction in waiting times in the history of the NHS.

“That is thanks to the government’s investment, modernisation, and the remarkable efforts of staff right across the country.

“Lots done, lots more to do.” He added

Sarah Woolnough, Chief Executive of The King’s Fund, said: ‘Meeting the interim 18-week target is a significant achievement and a tribute to the hard work of NHS staff who have had to weather the headwinds of industrial action, increasing demand and the biggest reorganisation of the health service in over a decade. Especially given this context, the health service’s leadership are rightly proud of what NHS staff have achieved for patients and the public.

‘For patients and their loved ones, it means fewer long waits for treatment and some relief from the anxiety extended delays cause.

‘The government has funnelled £120 million in extra ‘sprint funding’ into NHS trusts since January alone, to focus them on the elective waits target in a race to meet the March deadline. This is significant progress, but it may prove to be progress bought at a high price. This amount of additional funding will be hard to sustain in the current economic climate. It brings into question whether reaching the eventual 92% target by rinsing and repeating this sequence of ‘elective sprints’ is financially feasible or manageable for already stretched NHS staff.

‘And this is nowhere near the end of the road. To give a sense of the scale of the challenge facing the government to hit 92% – since they came into office, there are now 460,000 fewer waits of over 18-weeks. If the waiting list were to stay the same, an extra 1.9 million waits would need to be seen within 18-weeks to meet the government’s eventual 2029 target. Ministers can celebrate today’s milestone, but they cannot sprint their way to a lasting solution.

‘The opportunity costs of the government’s approach must also be considered. Several other waiting lists continue to grow, and the priority given to meeting the elective target means less focus on preventing disease, with the promised ‘health mission’ to kickstart a prevention revolution falling largely by the wayside.

‘Breaking free of this narrow definition of health as a waiting list target requires some political bravery but may ultimately deliver better outcomes for people. The answer to improving the nation’s health does not always lie within an operating theatre.’