NHS waiting lists are finally getting shorter, but not fairer everywhere

By Philip Broadbent, Wellcome Multimorbidity PhD Fellow & Public Health Registrar, University of Glasgow

After years of grim records, the NHS in England finally has some good news to report. The waiting list for planned hospital care has begun to edge down, and the share of patients treated within the 18-week target has climbed, from 59.8% in March 2025 to around 63% a year later. Ministers, who have promised to restore the 92% standard by 2029, are keen to claim momentum.

Until recently, it was difficult to say whether that recovery was reaching everyone equally. That changed in July last year when NHS England…

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