NHS Data: Government misses target of eliminating 18-month waits for routine treatment in England The government and NHS leaders have made it a top priority to cut elective care waiting times. But today's numbers paint a mixed picture. Despite prioritising the service, overall waiting lists have reached a new record of 7.33 million. That's up 110,000, the biggest month-on-month increase since August last year. A key NHS target was to eliminate 18-month waits by April. That has been missed, but they are getting close. In September 2021, there were almost 125,000 patients waiting a year and a half. That is now down to almost 10,000. Half of those remaining are at just 10 NHS trusts. The NHS says part of the reason for missing targets is the unprecedented industrial action seen over the past six months. We've had to reschedule around 500,000 appointments over the period of ...