Target: 82% by Mar 2027. Starting from 74.2% in Oct 2025, when the target was set, the straight path needed 79.25% by now.

What it means: the share of people attending any type of A&E who were admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours of arriving. The constitutional standard is 95%, last met in 2015. The NHS planning target is 82% by March 2027, then 85%. A rising line is good.

Source: NHS England, A&E attendances and emergency admissions, monthly time series; target from the NHS medium term planning framework (October 2025).