How Britain is really doing.

What is improving, what is stuck, and what would change it: follow the evidence on pay, homes, health, public money and more.

All topicsUK SWOT and priority action plan

Lead story · NHS · August 2026

England’s NHS waiting list has tripled since 2012.

At the end of August 2026, England had 7.37 million unfinished treatment pathways (about 6.2 million people, as some wait for more than one treatment), against 2.44 million in March 2012. Only 65.2% had waited under 18 weeks, against the 92% standard last met in 2015–16. That share is up from 61.0% a year earlier, and the list is below its September 2023 peak of 7.77 million. Pathways are not the same as unique patients.

Follow the evidence →

1996–2026 displayed window · observations only. Shading marks years outside the displayed record.

Millions of pathways, EnglandNo observations shown0m5m10m200020102020March 2012February 20207.37m
Source: NHS England RTT time series, August 2007 to August 2026; reporting in 2007–08 was less complete. March 2012 marks the start of the 92% standard for waiting patients. Pathways, not people (about 6.2 million people).

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The national picture

Where life is getting easier—and where pressure is building. These labels describe change against the comparison shown, not an overall verdict on Britain.

Latest data: 9 October 2026. Figures refresh automatically when the ONS, NHS England and MHCLG publish.

From the evidence to action

Four outcomes for a stronger UK

The topic pages show where the pressure lies. The UK SWOT brings those findings together; the National Action Plan tests what could improve them.

  • 10 options in the reviewed list

    Growth and prosperity

    Raise living standards through productive investment, skills and reliable infrastructure.

    Explore the options

  • 10 options in the reviewed list

    Wellbeing

    Improve health, safety and access to services, measuring outcomes as well as activity.

    Explore the options

  • 10 options in the reviewed list

    Equality and opportunity

    Widen opportunity and reduce avoidable gaps in income, health and access.

    Explore the options

  • 6 options awaiting appraisal

    Resilience and sustainability

    Prepare for shocks and protect the systems future prosperity depends on.

    Explore the options

An editorial selection, not a ranking or government policy. Assessments remain provisional: missing evidence, costs and delivery conditions are shown with each option.

National Action Plan →UK SWOT →Evidence and assurancePrevious priorities

The big subjects

All topics →

How the stories connect

Health and work

Treatment delays, ill health and barriers to work overlap. Follow the separate measures before judging which interventions could help.

  1. How long people wait for treatment
  2. Who is out of work through ill health
  3. What support costs

Housing and opportunity

Housing costs decide where people can live and work, and property is a large part of how wealth passes between generations.

  1. What stands between renters and a first home
  2. Who owns the wealth
  3. Why pay has grown so slowly

Investment and growth

Slow growth since 2007 links weak investment, productivity and the state’s room to spend.

  1. What would grow the economy
  2. What the money buys in the NHS
  3. How the budget is shared out

What could change?

Options compared on what they would change, who owns them, what they cost, how strong the evidence is and what would show they are working.

Housing: what would add homes people can afford?4 options, including: Faster, more predictable planning decisions; Grant for social and affordable homes; Construction workforce and skills.Compare the options →NHS: what would cut waits?4 options, including: Ring-fenced planned-care and diagnostic capacity; Keep and grow the workforce; Discharge support and social care capacity.Compare the options →