Almost 66% of people on England’s waiting list for planned treatment had been waiting less than 18 weeks in September 2026. NHS England says this was the highest proportion since September 2021. The improvement came despite a record number of referrals to the waiting list, according to its statement published on 12 November.
The figure measures waiting times, not the effectiveness of treatment. It shows how long people still on the list had already been waiting for care. It does not mean that almost 66% of patients completed treatment within 18 weeks, nor does it guarantee that someone newly referred will be seen within that time.
NHS England also reported a record number of diagnostic tests for September. The figures therefore suggest improvements in some measures of access to care while demand remains high. They cover England only, rather than the whole of the UK.
Record October attendances at A&E
The same statement highlights pressure on emergency services, although these figures cover the following month. Accident and emergency departments, known as A&E, recorded more than 2.5 million attendances in October 2026. NHS England says this was the highest total on record.
Ambulance crews responded to almost 870,000 incidents in October, an average of 28,046 a day — 7.7% more than in October 2025. These figures are separate from September’s planned treatment waiting-time measure: they describe demand for emergency care, not the length of waits for scheduled services.
As part of preparations for winter, NHS England said all hospital trusts — the organisations that manage NHS hospitals — had been asked to stress-test their winter plans by the end of September. The improved planned treatment waiting-time measure therefore comes as other parts of the health service face record demand.
