NHS Hits 18-Week Treatment Target as Waiting List Drops to Lowest Level in Three and a Half Years

NHS England has met its interim target for hospital waiting times for the first time in years, with 65.3% of patients in England beginning treatment within 18 weeks in March 2026. The milestone coincides with a drop in the overall waiting list to 7.11 million, the lowest level recorded in three and a half years and a decline of more than half a million since July 2024, according to official figures released by NHS England. The data mark the first time the health service has hit the 65% threshold in years.

The Details

The referral-to-treatment (RTT) data for March 2026 show that the health service crossed the 65% threshold set as an interim goal for that month. NHS England released the figures alongside data showing the overall waiting list has fallen by more than half a million since July 2024, when the current government took office, bringing the total to 7.11 million. The figures mark the first time in several years that the health service has crossed the 65% threshold.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said performance on the 18-week measure had been below 59% when Labour came to power. He described the March result as evidence the government was on track to deliver the fastest reduction in NHS waiting times in history. Streeting said the improvement reflected both policy changes and the efforts of NHS staff.

NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey hailed the figures as a major turnaround after years of missed targets. "This is a huge moment for the NHS," Mackey said. "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."

Streeting credited the improvement to policy and workforce efforts. "That is thanks to the government's investment, modernisation, and the remarkable efforts of staff right across the country," he said.

The Royal College of Surgeons of England reviewed the same NHS England release and confirmed that the latest RTT data showed 65.3% of patients started treatment within 18 weeks.

Context

The 65% milestone is an interim waypoint on the path to 92% rather than the final destination. Labour's manifesto includes a commitment to have 92% of patients treated within 18 weeks by the end of the current Parliament in 2029. The party inherited the backlog from the previous administration and has framed the recent data as proof that its recovery plan is gaining traction after years of deterioration.

Separate figures from NHS England show that more than 18.6 million people started treatment or completed care over the last 12 months, an increase of more than half a million compared with the previous year. The organisation attributed the higher throughput to expanded capacity and operational changes introduced over the past year. NHS England said the volume of patients treated over the last 12 months rose by more than half a million above the prior year.

The waiting list figure of 7.11 million represents the lowest point in three and a half years. The decline of more than half a million since July 2024 underscores the scale of the shift since the current government took office.

What's Next

Despite the milestone, professional bodies have warned that the gains may not be sustainable without additional capital investment. The Royal College of Surgeons of England said progress would remain fragile unless more theatres, beds, and modern infrastructure are provided.

Tim Mitchell of the Royal College of Surgeons said: "Too many teams are still working in ageing buildings with too few theatres and beds, and without addressing these constraints, progress for patients already waiting will remain fragile."

The warning places pressure on ministers to deliver on long-term capital spending pledges as the health service moves from meeting interim targets toward the 92% goal set for 2029. The RCS said that without addressing infrastructure constraints, further progress for patients already waiting will remain fragile. The surgeons' body said the gains recorded in March would remain fragile without additional investment in theatres, beds, and modern infrastructure.

For now, NHS England and the government are presenting the March figures as proof that the recovery trajectory is intact, even as clinicians caution that physical capacity limits could slow further gains.