Hospital Wait Times
NHS England has been set a target by Health Secretary Wes Streeting of ensuring that 92% of patients referred for a first hospital appointment are seen within 18 weeks – the NHS constitutional standard. It has four years (to March 2029) to meet this percentage target. As a marker in this direction, it has been directed to reach on average 65% by March 2026.
However, each hospital trust has been given its own target. East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (ESHT), which covers the county of East Sussex excluding Brighton, has been given a lower target of 60% by March 2026, reflecting a poorer starting record.
According to a survey released by BBC Verify last week, ESHT has improved its percentage from 54.9% in November 2024 to 60.1% in April 2025, i.e. it is performing ahead of its target – and indeed is now ahead of the national average for England, which stands at 59.7% (less than 1% above the figure for November 2024 of 59.1%).
These figures are difficult to reconcile, however, with waiting times published on the Sussex Health & Care website operated by the county’s Integrated Care Board. Their figures for last month show that for most adult services the average waiting times for what they call “routine’ first outpatient appointments are far in excess, including 51 weeks for gynaecology, 52 for cardiology, 57 for pain management and 61 for neurology and rheumatology.
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