At the end of February 2025, there were 6.2 million NHS patients awaiting to start treatment. This is a decrease of 1.6% in the number of patients waiting over the year.
On Thursday, NHS England published its Consultant-led Referral to Treatment Waiting Times data for February 2025. The data showed a moderate decrease in the number of open pathways and an increase of 1.6% in the rate of patients being treated within the 18 weeks target.
The Labour’s Government’s ‘Plan for Change’ programme has pledged to meet the 18 week treatment target, which sets out that 92% of people waiting for non-urgent treatment should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to first treatment.
The median waiting time, amongst pathways where the patient was waiting to start treatment at the end of February, was 14.2 weeks. However, the rate of complete pathways within 18 weeks remains well below target, at 59.2%. All Integrated Care Boards across England have missed the 18 week treatment target.
Regarding treatment functions, Trauma and Orthopaedic Services registered the highest number of incomplete pathways across all ICBs, at over 800k, whilst the Elderly Medicine Service saw the highest rate of complete pathways within target (83%).
At Polimapper, we have visualised NHS waiting times data by ICB, revealing regional and local discrepancies.
On a local level, the NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board registered the highest number of incomplete pathways, at 436.5k, followed by Cheshire and Merseyside ICB (326.6k).
The NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB saw the highest percentage of pathways completed within 18 weeks, at 69.5%. Conversely, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin saw the lowest (51.1%). Explore statistics in your area below.
About this map
In the map below, you can see NHS waiting times statistics by Integrated Care Board and by treatment times.
To view statistics in your area double click on the map or click here to launch the full page version.
Once in an ICB page scroll down to explore in-depth data.
Geodata context
Improvements on waiting times data have received positive feedback from organisations. Nonetheless, concerns remain on sustainable improvements and on the long way ahead to meet the 18 weeks target.
Isabel Lawicka, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers: “These figures show trusts and staff are providing more tests and treatment for patients, and delivering some progress in important areas, but no one is in any doubt that there is a very long way to go.
“There is no let up in these operational pressures and financial worries are adding to concerns about sustaining improvements in the months ahead.”
Rory Deighton, acute director at the NHS Confederation: “This data shows some very welcome performance improvements across waiting lists, cancer, and urgent and emergency care, despite continued high demand.”
“The drop in waiting lists for the sixth month in a row is testament to the hard work of NHS leaders and their teams working around the clock to boost productivity. But our members are under no illusions that there is still a long way to go to reduce the waiting list to more manageable levels and hit the 18-week target.”
“But with integrated care boards (ICB) tasked with making 50 per cent cuts to their running costs and providers having to reduce corporate cost growth by half, health leaders are going to have to make some very difficult decisions over the future of some services. There will need to be a balance between improving performance and implementing the reforms needed to put the NHS on a sustainable footing in the long-term.”