NHS Waiting Lists Fall by Over Half a Million as Health Service Hits Landmark 18-Week Target
The NHS has announced its strongest elective care recovery in years, with waiting lists falling by more than half a million patients and the health service successfully meeting its 18-week treatment target for the first time in years.
New figures published by NHS England reveal that 65.3% of patients in March 2026 were treated within 18 weeks, marking the biggest improvement in NHS waiting times since the launch of the iPad in 2010.
The milestone comes as the overall NHS waiting list dropped to 7.11 million — the lowest level recorded in more than three and a half years — following a reduction of over 515,000 patients since July 2024.
Over the past year alone, the NHS waiting list fell by more than 312,000 patients, representing the largest year-on-year reduction in 16 years and signalling major progress in tackling the elective care backlog across England.
Health leaders have described the achievement as a “huge moment” for the NHS, particularly given the sustained operational pressures faced by frontline services throughout the past year.
The latest NHS data also shows that nearly 450,000 fewer people were waiting longer than 18 weeks for treatment compared with July 2024, while the number of patients experiencing waits of more than one year has fallen by almost half over the past 12 months.
At the same time, the NHS delivered its strongest year on record for elective care activity, with more than 18.6 million patients either beginning treatment or completing care during the last financial year — over half a million more than the previous year.
The improvements were achieved despite record winter pressures, rising demand for emergency care, increasing ambulance callouts and unprecedented levels of GP appointments across the country.
The NHS also carried out a record-breaking 29.9 million diagnostic tests, checks and scans during the financial year, helping accelerate earlier diagnosis and treatment for patients nationwide.
However, NHS leaders acknowledged the continued challenges facing the health service, including the impact of industrial action during 2025/26, which NHS analysis estimates resulted in the loss of more than 171,000 appointments and procedures.
Sir Jim Mackey praised NHS staff for the achievement, describing it as the result of an “enormous effort” from teams across the country.
He said the latest figures demonstrate “real progress” in improving patient care and reducing waiting times, despite what has been described as one of the busiest and most challenging periods in NHS history.
Meanwhile, Wes Streeting said the government’s NHS recovery strategy was “working”, highlighting the combination of investment, NHS modernisation and workforce dedication behind the dramatic reduction in waiting lists.
The announcement marks a significant milestone in the NHS recovery journey and is expected to increase confidence across the healthcare sector as leaders continue efforts to reduce waiting times, modernise services and improve patient access to care across the UK.
