NHS England has met its 18-week treatment target for routine care, marking the most significant improvement in waiting times in 16 years [1].

This milestone comes as Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced his resignation this Thursday. The achievement suggests a shift in the efficiency of the English healthcare system following a period of severe backlog pressures.

Data shows that 65.3 percent of patients were treated within the 18-week window for routine treatment [2]. Some reports rounded this figure to 65 percent [3]. This represents the sharpest year-on-year improvement in waiting times seen in 16 years [3].

Officials attributed the progress to a massive increase in diagnostic activity. An NHS England spokesperson said, "We have delivered more tests, checks and scans over the last financial year than at any point in our history, carrying out a record 29.9 million diagnostic procedures" [1].

Beyond the treatment window, the overall waiting list has decreased by approximately 500,000 patients [1]. The surge in diagnostic capacity allowed the service to clear a larger volume of the backlog, a key priority for the government's health policy.

These figures were released on the same day Streeting stepped down from his role. While the timing coincides with his departure, the NHS credited the results to sustained policy changes and increased clinical throughput [1], [3].

“65.3 per cent of patients were treated within 18 weeks for routine treatment”

The simultaneous announcement of a record-breaking recovery in waiting times and the resignation of the Health Secretary creates a complex political narrative. By hitting the 18-week target and reducing the waiting list by half a million people, the administration is framing Streeting's departure as occurring at a peak of operational success rather than as a reaction to failure.