Overview
- England met the 65% 18‑week goal after Thursday's NHS data showed 65.3% on time and a 110,000 fall in the waiting list to about 7.11 million in March.
- Hours after the release, Wes Streeting quit as health secretary, saying he had lost confidence in Keir Starmer, and James Murray took over.
- Analysts highlighted a sharp rise in 'unreported removals' from lists, including use of software to flag cases for removal, raising doubts about how much of the drop reflects patients who still needed treatment.
- An NHS Alliance survey of 187 leaders found 64% expect service cuts, 57% plan to reduce clinical staff, and 75% foresee worse finances in 2026/27, which the group said puts recent progress at risk.
- Core standards still fall short, with cancer treatment at 70% against an 85% goal and A&E at 77% against 95%, even as Greater Manchester reports fewer long waits and more patients treated within 18 weeks.