NHS & Health
Is the NHS keeping up with demand?
The NHS is the UK's most valued institution — but its core A&E four-hour standard has gone unmet for years, and waiting lists rose into the millions. This is where you can see how it is performing, and what each party promised.
What this means
The headline figure
75.7%of A&E patients admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hoursNHS England Statistics ↗as of 31 May 2026All A&E types in May 2026, down from 76.9% in April. Against a 95% legal standard; NHS England works to an interim 78% goal. Major (Type 1) units perform lower (63.8% in April). Live monthly figures on the NHS page.
The 95% four-hour standard was last met in July 2015. Current monthly performance is published by NHS England and shown live on the NHS data page.
Party pledges
What parties promised — and delivered
In the news
What the media is saying about nhs & health
Go deeper
Related data
Take action:✉ Write to your MP
Source: Parliament APIs · Electoral Commission · NHS England · Environment Agency · RSS news feeds
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 · Editorial (party assessments)