NHS Hits 18-Week Target - But Half of Trusts Still Falling Short

The NHS hit its interim 18-week waiting time target in March 2026 for the first time, with 65.3% of patients in England treated within 18 weeks - just clearing the 65% threshold set by Health Secretary Wes Streeting. The waiting list fell by more than 312,000 over the year to March 2026, the largest year-on-year reduction in 16 years, according to NHS England. Since July 2024, around 450,000 fewer patients are waiting beyond 18 weeks. Streeting described it as "the biggest cut in waiting lists in a single month in 17 years." The figures cover March 2026 data published in May 2026 and represent the strongest performance since NHS waiting lists began rising sharply after the pandemic.

Why the Headline Masks a Patchy Picture

The 65.3% figure is a national average. Beneath it, 71 of 150 NHS trusts in England failed to reach the 65% interim target in March 2026, meaning nearly half of all hospital trusts are still treating fewer than two in three patients within 18 weeks. The NHS constitutional standard - the legal target - remains 92% of patients seen within 18 weeks, a bar that has not been met nationally since 2016. Patients at underperforming trusts can be waiting significantly longer than the national average suggests, and a trust in the bottom quartile may have median waits three or four times longer than the best performers.

What This Means for Patients

If your GP referred you to a trust that is among those missing the target, you are not required to stay on that trust's list. Under the NHS Right to Choose, you can request a re-referral to any NHS trust or NHS-commissioned independent provider in England for your first outpatient appointment. Patients who exercise this right and switch to a higher-performing trust often find waits several months shorter. The right applies to elective referrals including orthopaedics, dermatology, ophthalmology, cardiology, gynaecology, and most other planned care specialties.

How to Find a Shorter Wait

You can compare NHS hospitals by specialty and postcode to see which trusts near you - and further afield - are currently treating patients fastest. The NHS constitution guarantees your right to choose; a GP re-referral letter is all it takes to act on it.