The Government has hit a key target on cutting the number of people waiting for NHS care, with health leaders calling it a “significant achievement”.
An estimated 65.3% of patients in England in March began hospital treatment within 18 weeks of referral, up from 62.6% in February and the highest percentage since November 2021.
This means the Government and NHS England have hit the target they set for 65% of people to be seen within this timeframe by March.
The overall waiting list for planned hospital treatment in England has also fallen for the fifth month in a row and is now at its lowest since summer 2022.
However, interim targets on cancer care and A&E have not quite been met, with experts calling for further action to sustain the progress made so far.
Overall, an estimated 7.11 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of March, relating to 6.02 million patients.
This is down from 7.22 million treatments and 6.11 million patients at the end of February.
The number of treatments waiting to be carried out is at its lowest level since August 2022, when it stood at 7.07 million.
It is also the largest month-on-month drop for treatments since April 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In total, 94,406 people in England had been waiting more than a year to start routine hospital treatment at the end of March, down from 122,668 at the end of February.
This is the lowest figure for waits of more than a year since July 2020.
Some 1.3% of people on the list for hospital treatment had been waiting more than 52 weeks in March, down from 1.7% the previous month.
The Government and NHS England had set a target of March this year for the figure to be reduced to less than 1%.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said in a written statement that the Government’s plan for the NHS is working.
He said: “It means we are right on track to deliver the fastest reduction in waiting times in the history of the NHS.
“That is thanks to the Government’s investment, modernisation, and the remarkable efforts of staff right across the country.
“Lots done, lots more to do.”
The data showed 76.9% of patients in England were seen within four hours in A&Es in April, down from 77.1% in March.
The Government and NHS England had set a target of March this year for 78% of patients attending A&E to be admitted, discharged or transferred within four hours, meaning the target was missed.
When it comes to cancer, another target was missed, with the proportion of patients who began their first definitive treatment for cancer in March within 62 days of an urgent referral or consultant upgrade being 72.8%.
This was up from 68.6% in February but below the 75% target set for March.
Overall, 79.4% of patients urgently referred for suspected cancer were diagnosed or had cancer ruled out within 28 days in March, above the 75% target.
Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of the King’s Fund, said: “Meeting the interim 18-week target is a significant achievement and a tribute to the hard work of NHS staff who have had to weather the headwinds of industrial action, increasing demand and the biggest reorganisation of the health service in over a decade.
“Especially given this context, the health service’s leadership are rightly proud of what NHS staff have achieved for patients and the public.
“For patients and their loved ones, it means fewer long waits for treatment and some relief from the anxiety extended delays cause.
“The Government has funnelled £120 million in extra ‘sprint funding’ into NHS trusts since January alone, to focus them on the elective waits target in a race to meet the March deadline.
“This is significant progress, but it may prove to be progress bought at a high price.
“This amount of additional funding will be hard to sustain in the current economic climate.”
She said the Government’s overall target for 92% of patients to be seen within 18 weeks could prove a challenge.
She said the additional funding needed so far “brings into question whether reaching the eventual 92% target by rinsing and repeating this sequence of ‘elective sprints’ is financially feasible or manageable for already stretched NHS staff”.
She added: “To give a sense of the scale of the challenge facing the Government to hit 92% – since they came into office, there are now 460,000 fewer waits of over 18 weeks.
“If the waiting list were to stay the same, an extra 1.9 million waits would need to be seen within 18 weeks to meet the Government’s eventual 2029 target.
“Ministers can celebrate today’s milestone, but they cannot sprint their way to a lasting solution.”
Tim Gardner, deputy director of policy at the Health Foundation, welcomed the data and said they show “the NHS has made significant progress towards improving access to planned hospital care, meeting its national elective care target but falling short of several other recovery targets for cancer and elective waits set for March 2026”.
He added: “While the Government’s interim target that at least 65% of patients should start treatment within 18 weeks or less was met nationally, just over four in 10 acute NHS trusts did not achieve the required improvements and further targeted support will be needed to ensure an equitable recovery.
“The reduction in patients waiting for routine hospital treatment is welcome progress and reflects the extraordinary effort of NHS staff, particularly over a tough winter.
“But the real test will be whether this progress can be sustained and built on in the months ahead.”
NHS chief executive, Sir Jim Mackey, said: “This is a huge moment for the NHS. Hitting our targets for the first time in years hasn’t happened by accident – it’s been down to an absolutely enormous effort from NHS staff up and down the country.”
Cancer Research UK said waiting times for cancer treatment have been coming down but improvement has been slow.
Its chief executive, Michelle Mitchell, said: “Every month, thousands of patients are waiting longer than they should to start their cancer treatment. It’s a time where every day can feel like forever.
“If this interim target (75% of patients treated on time) was met, around 3,700 more people would have been treated on time in March alone.
“The UK Government made a welcome commitment in the National Cancer Plan for England to hit cancer wait time targets by the end of this parliament, but it is not currently on track to achieve this.
“Urgent action is needed, including investing in staff and equipment, otherwise people affected by cancer will continue to be let down.”
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