Trusts have been told to treat 82% of A&E attendees within four hours next year, and must also hit a slew of other new targets revealed in the latest planning guidance.
The new A&E target set in NHS England’s ‘Medium Term Planning Framework’, which is published today, is a significant step up from the 78% target set for this year.
The NHS has not achieved 85% against the four hour A&E targets since April 2021 when demand was suppressed during the pandemic. The constitutional standard of 95% has not been hit since 2015. The NHS recorded a performance of 75% against the target last month.
Children’s A&Es have also been told to return to 95% four hours A&E performance “over the coming months”.
Ambulance trusts have been told to deliver an average category two response time of 25m in 2026-27 – an increase on this year’s target of 30m.
Trusts have been told to deliver a minimum 7% improvement in the proportion of elective patients seen within 18-weeks, or to achieve a 65% performance if that would be greater. The trusts are required to deliver a minimum of 60% in 2025-26. The national elective target has been set at 70 %, up from 65% this year.
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Source: HSJ, 24 October 2025
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