Key Summary
- March saw the highest-ever A&E attendance (2.43 million), yet waiting times improved to their best levels in five years.
- Waiting lists are falling, more patients are treated within 18 weeks, and cancer diagnosis times have reached record highs.
- Despite progress and faster ambulance responses, NHS leaders warn demand remains extremely high following a prolonged winter.
While March was the busiest month for the NHS due to “prolonged winter” and meningitis outbreak, the A&E waiting times hit their lowest in five years.
The NHS experienced a record-breaking 2.43 million total A&E attendance in March, 16,000 more than the previous high in 2024.
It comes as England’s top doctor described the NHS as being ‘within touching distance’ of its elective recovery target.
The NHS is inching towards the target of 65 percent of patients treated within 18 weeks by the end of March - the first time this level will have been reached since November 2021.
At the end of February, 62.6 percent of patients were waiting under 18 weeks, up 1.1 percentage points on January 2026.
The total waiting list decreased to 7.22 million in February 2026, a month-on-month decrease of 31,006.
Cancer patients are getting diagnosed faster by four weeks.
In February more than four in five patients (80.5 percent) with suspected cancer received a diagnosis, or had cancer ruled out, within 28 days - the highest proportion in NHS history. During the month 208,293 patients received a result.
Ambulance response times for serious incidents quickened in March, averaging 26:18 minutes, the best performance since May 2021.
The NHS also carried out a record 29,863,709 tests and checks between March 2025 and February 2026, over one million more than the previous year.
“This progress has been achieved despite the busiest winter on record and disruption caused by industrial action. This shows the determination of staff to get back to delivering on their commitments no matter how challenging the circumstances have been,” commented Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS deputy CEO and medical director.
“Pressure on services remain very high, with more people attending A&E in March than ever before, following prolonged winter demand,” she added
Health secretary Wes Streeting said, “Through the government’s investment and modernisation - and thanks to the extraordinary effort of NHS staff across the country - waiting lists are down by over 400,000.”
He assured, “There are still too many patients waiting far too long. The NHS is on the road to recovery, and my foot is pressing down hard on the accelerator.”
