NHS England Reports Notable Progress in Hospital Waiting Times and Performance
The latest monthly performance data from NHS England reveals encouraging trends across several key metrics, with the waiting list for routine hospital treatment continuing to decline and year-long waits reaching their lowest point in over five years. Published on Thursday 12 March 2026, the comprehensive report covers waiting times, A&E treatment, cancer referrals, and seasonal pressures from illnesses like norovirus and flu.
Routine Treatment Waiting List Shows Sustained Reduction
The overall waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England has fallen for the third month in a row, maintaining its lowest level since early 2023. At the end of January, an estimated 7.25 million treatments were awaiting completion, relating to 6.13 million patients. This represents a decrease from 7.29 million treatments and 6.17 million patients recorded at the end of December.
This current figure is the lowest since February 2023, when the list stood at 7.22 million treatments. It marks a significant reduction from the record high of 7.77 million treatments and 6.50 million patients observed in September 2023. The waiting list has experienced substantial growth over the past decade, surpassing three million treatments in 2014, four million in 2017, five million in 2021, and seven million in 2022.
Long Waits for Treatment Reach Multi-Year Low
A total of 135,657 people had been waiting more than a year to start routine hospital treatment at the end of January, down from 140,508 at the end of December. This is the lowest figure for waits exceeding 52 weeks since August 2020, accounting for 1.87% of the total waiting list, compared to 1.93% the previous month.
The Government and NHS England have established a target of March 2026 to reduce this proportion to less than 1%. However, the number of patients waiting over 18 months increased slightly to 1,616 in January from 1,514 in December, though this remains below the 2,003 recorded in January 2025. Similarly, those waiting more than 65 weeks rose marginally to 7,457 from 7,344 the previous month, but is substantially lower than the 14,966 reported a year earlier.
Accident & Emergency Performance Demonstrates Improvement
A&E departments across England have shown marked progress in reducing lengthy waits. In February, 54,649 people waited more than 12 hours from a decision to admit to actual admission, a significant decrease from the record 71,517 in January. The number waiting at least four hours also fell to 132,238 last month from 161,141 in January.
Consequently, 74.1% of patients were seen within four hours in A&Es during February, up from 72.5% in January. The Government and NHS England aim to achieve a target of 78% of patients being admitted, discharged, or transferred within four hours by March 2026.
Cancer Referral Targets Present Mixed Results
Cancer referral metrics indicate some challenges, with 72.8% of patients urgently referred for suspected cancer receiving a diagnosis or having cancer ruled out within 28 days in January, down from 77.4% in December and below the current target of 75%. Additionally, the proportion of patients beginning their first definitive cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral dropped to 68.4% from 71.9% the previous month.
The Government and NHS England have set a target of March 2026 for this figure to reach 75%, highlighting ongoing efforts to improve cancer care timelines.
Seasonal Illness Pressures Ease Significantly
Hospital pressures from seasonal illnesses have notably diminished. An average of 761 hospital beds were occupied daily last week by patients with norovirus symptoms, an 18% reduction from the previous week's average of 923 and the lowest since early January. This winter's peak occurred in the week ending February 15, with 1,012 patients.
Similarly, flu patients in hospital averaged 435 per day last week, down 30% from 618 the previous week. The flu season peaked at 3,140 patients in the week ending December 14 2025.
Ambulance Response Times Show Varied Progress
Ambulance response times have improved in several categories. For the most urgent incidents involving life-threatening conditions, the average response time in February was 7 minutes and 50 seconds, down from 8 minutes and 8 seconds in January, though still above the target standard of 7 minutes.
Response times for emergency calls such as heart attacks, strokes, and sepsis averaged 28 minutes and 57 seconds last month, a decrease from 35 minutes and 4 seconds in January. The Government and NHS England target an average of 30 minutes across 2025/26, with the current average standing at 30 minutes and 25 seconds.
Urgent calls, including late stages of labour and non-severe burns, saw response times average 1 hour, 42 minutes, and 24 seconds in February, down from 2 hours, 10 minutes, and 54 seconds in January.
This latest data underscores a period of relative improvement for NHS England, with key indicators moving in a positive direction as the health service works towards its 2026 targets.
