Surgeons: patients continue to face long waits as recovery remains too slow to restore NHS waiting time standards

Surgeons are warning that thousands of patients continue to face lengthy waits for NHS treatment, as the latest figures show that progress in reducing waiting times remains too slow to restore the 18-week waiting time standard by 2029. 

Only 65.4% of cases were waiting 18 weeks or less for treatment in July, leaving the NHS well below the 92% standard the government has pledged to restore by March 2029. 

The figure has changed little since the NHS reached the government’s interim target of 65% in March. Analysis by the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) suggests that, at the current rate of progress since May 2024, no NHS region is on track to meet the 92% standard by 2029. Even the best-performing region would reach only 76% by that point, leaving it nearly 16 percentage points short of the standard. 

The number of cases waiting more than a year for elective treatment has also increased for the fourth consecutive month and is now over 17% (16,975 cases) higher than in March. This means some patients who have already experienced the longest delays are continuing to wait even longer for treatment. 

Commenting on the figures, Professor Frank Smith, Vice-President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), said:  

“The NHS has made progress in reducing waiting times, which is a credit to the enormous efforts of staff. However, our analysis shows that, if the pace of improvement seen over the last two years continues, no region in England will restore the 18-week standard by 2029.  

“At the same time, the continued rise in waits of more than a year is deeply concerning. The patients who have already waited the longest cannot be left behind as the NHS works to improve its overall performance. 

“While we welcome the first allocation of £1.5 billion from the £6.75 billion NHS Estate Safety Fund to improve NHS buildings, address maintenance issues and strengthen resilience to extreme heat, the 18-week standard will require additional investment in the workforce, operating theatres and the infrastructure needed to treat more patients. 

“Almost a year after seeking views on its 10 Year Workforce Plan, the government has still not published it. Ministers must now set out clear, transparent workforce projections and how they will ensure the NHS has enough staff to tackle the backlog once and for all.” 

ENDS 

Notes to editors:  

1. Latest NHS England RTT data is available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2026-27/#Jul26  

2. RCS England analysis is based on NHS England's monthly Consultant-led Referral to Treatment (RTT) Waiting Times statistics and Incomplete Commissioner RTT datasets. Regional projections were calculated using changes in 18-week RTT performance observed between May 2024 and July 2026 and projecting those rates of improvement to March 2029. These projections are RCS England’s own analysis and should not be interpreted as NHS England forecasts. 

3. NHS England's Referral to Treatment (RTT) statistics measure treatment pathways rather than individual patients. In this press release, the use of ‘patients’ refers to ‘patient pathways’. 

4. For more information, please contact the press office: telephone: 020 7869 6054/6053; email: pressoffice@rcseng.ac.uk; out-of-hours media enquiries: 0207 869 6056.