RTT & Elective Care

Detailed metrics on referral to treatment and elective care performance

RTT Performance Summary

Source: NHS England RTT Waiting Times, August 2026 (published 8 October 2026). Sheffield excluded — see note below.

18-Week Performance (Shelford Avg)
66.8%
NHS target: 92% · England avg: 65.2% · 9 trusts reporting
Total Waiting List
865.6k
Patients on incomplete pathways (9 trusts)
52+ Week Waiters
1.0%
8,248 patients · England avg: 1.5%
78+ Week Waiters
<0.01%
96 patients across 9 trusts
Elective Recovery Plan Milestones: The Government's plan aims for 65% of patients within 18 weeks by March 2026 (with every trust delivering a 5pp improvement), 70% by March 2027, and the constitutional standard of 92% by March 2029. The Shelford average currently stands at 66.8% (9 trusts reporting; Sheffield excluded — see note below).

Trust-Level RTT Performance

Source: NHS England RTT Waiting Times, August 2026 (published 8 October 2026), Full Provider Waiting Times file, August 2026 (waiting list size, 52+/78+ week counts). Sheffield Teaching Hospitals (RHQ) is excluded from this table: NHS England has replaced Sheffield's reported 18-week and 52-week figures from July 2025 onwards with estimates derived from June 2025 data due to a data submission issue at the trust, and the trust does not appear at all in the underlying waiting-list-size file, so no verifiable waiting-list-size or 78+ week figure exists for it. The most recent NHS-supplied estimate for Sheffield was 66.0% (18wk) and 2.0% (52+wk).

Trust18wk PerformanceWaiting List Size52+ week %78+ week %

18-Week Performance Trends with Elective Recovery Benchmarks

Source: NHS England Acute Provider Time Series, August 2025 – August 2026 (published October 2026). Sheffield excluded due to data issues — its 18-week figure is frozen at an estimated 66.0% throughout this source too. Benchmark lines from Elective Reform Plan (Jan 2025) and Medium Term Planning Framework.

18-Week Performance by Trust – 3 Month Comparison

Source: NHS England Acute Provider Time Series, June – August 2026 (published October 2026). Sheffield excluded due to data issues.

Waiting List Size by Trust (thousands)

Source: NHS England Full Provider Waiting Times file, August 2026. Sheffield excluded — not present in source file.

Long Waiters by Trust (% of waiting list)

Source: NHS England Full Provider Waiting Times file, August 2026. Sheffield excluded — not present in source file.

52+ Week Waiters Trend (% of waiting list)

Source: NHS England Acute Provider Time Series, August 2025 – August 2026 (published October 2026). Interim target: less than 1% by March 2026. Sheffield excluded due to data issues.