NHS waiting list (England)

Source: NHS England, series Referral to treatment (RTT): incomplete pathways, England total including estimates for non-reporting trusts. Monthly, usually the second Thursday of the month at 9:30am, covering the month two months earlier. No API: data are .xlsx/.csv files with changing file names on the NHS England statistics pages, which return a bot challenge (HTTP 202) to scripts; the GOV.UK statistics announcement page for each release is reachable and can be used to detect a new release

What it measures

The NHS waiting list in England is the number of referral to treatment (RTT) pathways where a patient is waiting to start consultant-led planned (elective) care, such as a hip operation or a first outpatient appointment with a specialist. Each pathway starts when a patient is referred and ends when treatment starts or a decision is made that no treatment is needed. Some patients wait on more than one pathway, so NHS England also estimates the number of unique patients. The NHS Constitution standard is that 92% of patients should wait no more than 18 weeks.

How to read it

Headline totals count pathways, not people: in August 2026 NHS England estimated around 6.2 million unique patients behind 7.4 million pathways. When some hospital trusts do not submit data, NHS England adds estimates for them to the headline total, so read the notes on missing trusts. The list grows when more people are referred than complete treatment, so look at clock starts and completed pathways as well as the total. Long-wait counts (over 52, 65, 78 and 104 weeks) and the share waiting under 18 weeks show different things from the total size. This measure covers England only; waiting times in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are measured differently and cannot be added together.

Background

NHS England publishes consistent monthly data on incomplete RTT pathways from August 2007. The 18-week maximum waiting time is set out in the NHS Constitution, which gives patients a right to start treatment within 18 weeks of referral, subject to some exceptions. In August 2026, NHS England reported that 65.2% of patients waiting had been waiting up to 18 weeks, 4.2 percentage points higher than a year earlier, and that 113,339 had waited more than 52 weeks.

Other parts of the UK

Public Health Scotland: stage of treatment waiting times · Welsh Government: NHS activity and performance summary · Department of Health Northern Ireland: outpatient waiting times

How many people are on the NHS waiting list in England?

NHS England counts pathways rather than people. At the end of August 2026 there were 7.4 million RTT pathways, and NHS England estimated around 6.2 million unique patients, using its Waiting List Minimum Data Set. The figures were published on 8 October 2026 and include estimates for four trusts that did not submit data.

What is the 18-week target for NHS treatment?

The NHS Constitution standard is that 92% of patients on the waiting list should have waited no more than 18 weeks from referral to treatment. NHS England reports the percentage within 18 weeks every month. In August 2026 it was 65.2%. The standard applies to consultant-led planned care in England.

What is the median waiting time for NHS treatment?

NHS England publishes the median wait for patients still waiting each month. At the end of August 2026 it was 12.2 weeks, and the 92nd percentile wait was 38.8 weeks. These figures exclude estimates for non-reporting trusts. Waits vary widely by hospital and specialty, which you can check in the provider-level data.

Related questions

• How long is the NHS waiting list?
• Is the NHS waiting list coming down?
• How do I check NHS waiting times for my hospital?
• What are NHS waiting times in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?

More on this source: NHS England statistics and NHS England Digital (formerly NHS Digital)