The NHS has hit its target of seeing 65% of patients within 18 weeks for planned treatment, according to the latest figures released today.

The government set the interim target for March this year, on the way to restoring the constitutional standard of 92% of patients treated within 18 weeks by 2029. The latest figures confirm that the milestone has been reached.

Fastest-improving trusts

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust said the share of its patients seen within 18 weeks rose from just over 55% in January to 63.5%, the biggest improvement in the Midlands, after staff saw more than 10,000 extra new outpatients than planned during a national elective recovery sprint.

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton said more than 11,000 additional patients received care sooner, with 61.9% seen within 18 weeks by the end of March, up 4.5 percentage points from February. Its overall waiting list fell below 93,300, its lowest since March 2022, and the number waiting more than a year fell to its lowest since August 2020.

What the target means

Dr Jess Sokolov, regional medical director for NHS England in the Midlands, thanked staff in Nottingham for "bringing down waiting lists at an incredible pace this year".

The 65% figure is an interim milestone rather than the full standard, and Nottingham University Hospitals said the work to cut waits further continues. Analysis by the Health Foundation has warned that reaching 92% by 2029 will be hard on current trends, but the latest figures show the gains made in the spring are being held.