The latest NHS England statistics show the total waiting list fell by 31,006 in February compared with January to 7.22m, down by more than 400,000 compared to July 2024.

At the end of February, 62.6% of patients were waiting under 18 weeks, up 1.1 percentage points on January 2026, but still below the end of March interim target of 65%.

Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said the NHS had come within a ‘cat's whisker of the ambitious targets we set ourselves' but health leaders warned the target could still be missed.

Professor Frank Smith, vice president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: ‘NHS staff have worked relentlessly under intense pressure to bring down waiting lists, and patients will welcome any sign that things are moving in the right direction. But with data suggesting the 65% target could be narrowly missed, it is clear just how fragile this progress remains.  

‘As the Government's March 2026 deadline approaches, we must ask whether the system has the capacity needed to turn short-term gains into lasting improvement.'

Nuffield Trust deputy director of research, Sarah Scobie said: ‘Today's data shows the NHS has made real progress in February and March to try to meet its interim targets. The fact that these improvements have not quite been fast enough is a reminder that the "sprint" to improve waiting times is only the start of a marathon to come.'

Tim Gardner, deputy director of policy at The Health Foundation, said: ‘Making further progress will require system-wide action to tackle the bottlenecks causing long delays in patients being admitted to and discharged from hospital. The Government's first steps to address corridor care are a welcome start, but need to be backed by longer-term investment in improving services, expanding capacity and a stronger social care system. 

‘Given the current pressures on health and care services, the forthcoming workforce plan must be grounded in realistic projections of growing health care demand.'

NHS Alliance director of acute, ambulance and community care, Rory Deighton, said: ‘These are hard-won gains, and there is a long way to go for the health service, but it is good to see the dial shifting on elective waits and the four-hour A&E target, although 12-hour waits remain a real concern.'