A&E waits hit five-year best as March sets record attendances in England

England’s accident and emergency departments recorded their busiest month on record in March, yet waiting times improved to a five-year best. New figures show 2.43 million people attended A&E, 16,000 more than the previous peak in May 2024, while 77.1% of patients were seen within four hours — the strongest performance since July 2021.

The surge in attendances was driven in part by increased demand following reports of a meningitis outbreak in mid-March, which added pressure on emergency departments. Even so, NHS performance continued to improve, with England’s Chief Medical Officer describing the service as being “within touching distance” of its elective recovery target.

Progress extended beyond urgent care. The NHS said it is working towards its goal of treating 65% of patients within 18 weeks for planned procedures by the end of March, a mark not reached since November 2021. Cancer diagnosis times also accelerated: in February, 80.5% of people with suspected cancer were diagnosed or had cancer ruled out within 28 days, the highest proportion on record.

In total, 208,293 patients received a definitive result within the four-week standard that month. Ambulance performance improved, particularly for the most serious incidents. Underpinning this, the NHS carried out 29,863,709 tests and checks between March 2025 and February 2026 — more than one million more than the previous year — expanding diagnostic capacity across care pathways.

The gains follow a recent announcement of 36 new and expanded Community Diagnostic Centres, backed by £237 million in government investment, intended to deliver more tests and scans closer to home and ease hospital pressures.

Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS Deputy CEO and Medical Director, said she was proud of staff who had brought the service “within touching distance” of the elective recovery target despite the busiest winter on record and disruption from industrial action.

“Pressure on services remain very high, with more people attending A&E in March than ever before,” she said, adding that staff “saw patients faster than at any point in recent years — as the NHS turnaround continues.” Health leaders said the focus now is on maintaining momentum across urgent, emergency and planned care while managing sustained demand, as efforts continue to hit elective recovery milestones and roll out additional diagnostic capacity.