NHS England’s March 2026 Integrated Performance Report shows that 90,049 patients were waiting more than 52 weeks for community services in January 2026.

The figure was slightly lower than December 2025, but 32.7% higher than January 2025, with NHS England reporting that most over-52-week community waits were in children’s services.

Key Developments

NHS England reported that 90,049 patients were waiting more than 52 weeks for community services in January 2026. This was down from 90,220 in December 2025, a reduction of 171 patients, or 0.2% month on month.

Compared with January 2025, when 67,879 patients were waiting more than 52 weeks for community services, the January 2026 figure represented an increase of 22,170 patients, or 32.7% year on year.

NHS England stated that 90% of all over-52-week community waits were in children’s services. It also reported that 82% of all community waits over 52 weeks were in the community paediatrics service line, largely driven by demand for neurodevelopmental assessment.

The report also recorded continued delays in autism assessment pathways. In December 2025, 84.8% of people with suspected autism were waiting more than 13 weeks for contact, up from 84.3% in November 2025 and 80.3% in December 2024.

NHS England stated that formal community waiting-time targets have been published in the Medium Term Planning Framework. These include 2026/27 ICB targets for 78% of waits to be under 18 weeks and a requirement for plans to eliminate waits over 52 weeks.

The report said planned actions include development of a system-wide action plan with system- and provider-level checklists to baseline provision and drive improvement, and a national community musculoskeletal service specification to reduce waits in a high-volume service line. NHS England stated that these actions are designed to reduce variation and address drivers of long waits, with impact expected in 2026/27 data.

Why It Matters

The community waiting-list data shows a different access picture from the elective waiting-list position. In the same March report, NHS England recorded a year-on-year fall in the total elective waiting list, while community waits over 52 weeks increased year on year.

The concentration of long waits in children’s services makes the community access position particularly relevant for ICBs, community providers and children’s service leaders. NHS England’s report identifies community paediatrics and neurodevelopmental assessment demand as major contributors to the over-52-week community waiting-list position.

The report also indicates that community waiting-time improvement is being brought into formal planning and performance expectations for 2026/27, including ICB-level targets and plans to eliminate waits over 52 weeks.

The figures provide a Board-level view of community access pressure and show that recovery planning extends beyond acute elective pathways into community services, children’s services and neurodevelopmental assessment capacity.

Source References

• NHS England, Integrated Performance Report, March 2026.
• NHS England, Meeting of the Board of NHS England – agenda, 26 March 2026.