Referral to treatment (RTT) data for August 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Page updated 2 November 2026

Cardiology waiting times: NHS trusts ranked

How long patients on the cardiology waiting list had waited at each NHS trust in England at the end of August 2026, from NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) statistics. Cardiology covers the heart, for example chest pain clinics, abnormal heart rhythms and heart failure. Trusts are ranked from the shortest median wait to the longest.

Past figures, not a promise. These are NHS England figures for patients who were already on the waiting list at the end of August 2026: how long they had waited so far. They are not a forecast or a guarantee of how long a new patient will wait, and waits can change quickly. Waiting Times UK is an independent website, not part of the NHS, and this is not medical advice.

Cardiology: summary

At the end of August 2026, 118 NHS trusts in England had at least 20 pathways waiting for cardiology. Their median waits so far ranged from 4.9 weeks at Leeds Teaching Hospitals to 19.6 weeks at The Hillingdon Hospitals; the England median was 11.9 weeks. 67 of the 118 trusts had a median at or below the England figure. The share waiting under 18 weeks ranged from 45.9% to 97.3% (England 67.9%); 9 trusts met the 92% standard. 47 trusts had no cardiology pathways waiting over 52 weeks; the most was 608 at East Kent Hospitals University.

Which NHS trusts have the shortest cardiology waits?

Select a column heading to sort, or filter by NHS England region. Each trust links to its own cardiology page with the trend and nearby trusts. To put two to four trusts next to each other, use the side-by-side comparison.

Cardiology: NHS trusts in England ranked by median wait, end of August 2026
Rank	Trust	Region	Median weeks waited	Under 18 weeks	92nd percentile weeks	Pathways waiting	Over 52 weeks	Over 52 weeks (% of list)
1	Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	North East and Yorkshire	4.9	96.2%	14	3,342	3	0.1%
2	Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust	North East and Yorkshire	6.0	92.3%	18	858	0	0.0%
3	United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	6.1	90.2%	20	1,375	0	0.0%
4	University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust	North West	6.3	91.5%	19	695	2	0.3%
5	Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	6.9	84.9%	26	1,652	2	0.1%
=6	Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust	North West	7.0	92.0%	18	891	0	0.0%
=6	The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	7.0	89.2%	20	1,888	0	0.0%
=8	East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust	North West	7.1	91.0%	19	1,862	0	0.0%
=8	Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	7.1	86.4%	23	1,807	0	0.0%
=10	Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	7.3	97.3%	17	1,616	0	0.0%
=10	Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	South East	7.3	92.6%	18	244	0	0.0%
12	County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	7.5	85.2%	25	1,357	1	0.1%
13	Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	7.6	96.5%	16	689	0	0.0%
14	Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust	Midlands	7.7	93.6%	18	1,833	0	0.0%
15	North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	7.9	83.2%	28	668	0	0.0%
16	University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	8.0	87.9%	20	4,920	1	0.0%
17	South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	8.1	84.4%	24	2,451	0	0.0%
18	Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	8.2	85.1%	25	1,939	0	0.0%
=19	East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust	East of England	8.3	94.5%	17	3,785	0	0.0%
=19	Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust	South East	8.3	88.3%	22	2,782	0	0.0%
=19	Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	North West	8.3	80.0%	26	888	0	0.0%
22	Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	North West	8.6	82.8%	25	3,091	0	0.0%
23	South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	8.8	88.6%	20	792	0	0.0%
24	Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	9.0	82.2%	24	2,321	1	0.0%
25	Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	London	9.1	96.2%	18	1,804	0	0.0%
=26	Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	9.3	82.2%	24	1,763	3	0.2%
=26	North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust	North West	9.3	82.0%	26	1,827	0	0.0%
28	The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	9.7	84.0%	23	1,740	0	0.0%
=29	University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust	South West	9.8	79.1%	29	3,596	0	0.0%
=29	East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	9.8	73.1%	34	3,176	2	0.1%
=29	University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	London	9.8	72.5%	28	806	0	0.0%
=29	Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust	South East	9.8	70.8%	30	2,714	0	0.0%
=33	Croydon Health Services NHS Trust	London	10.2	78.3%	30	1,467	0	0.0%
=33	Barts Health NHS Trust	London	10.2	76.5%	30	8,277	0	0.0%
=35	Somerset NHS Foundation Trust	South West	10.3	77.1%	29	2,441	6	0.2%
=35	Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	10.3	74.7%	28	1,989	1	0.1%
=35	Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South West	10.3	70.8%	31	1,125	0	0.0%
=38	Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust	South East	10.4	74.3%	33	2,874	5	0.2%
=38	Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	10.4	72.4%	33	814	2	0.2%
=40	Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust	South East	10.5	78.4%	26	2,268	0	0.0%
=40	George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust	Midlands	10.5	77.8%	27	1,162	0	0.0%
=40	The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	10.5	75.6%	35	2,842	53	1.9%
=43	South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	10.6	74.4%	33	2,151	40	1.9%
=43	Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	10.6	67.9%	35	3,230	3	0.1%
=45	West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	10.7	75.7%	29	1,059	5	0.5%
=45	Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	10.7	73.2%	37	3,478	3	0.1%
=47	West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	East of England	10.8	77.7%	27	4,564	0	0.0%
=47	Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	North West	10.8	75.0%	27	1,296	1	0.1%
=47	University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust	Midlands	10.8	74.0%	27	1,976	0	0.0%
=50	Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust	South East	10.9	82.3%	24	2,834	3	0.1%
=50	Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South West	10.9	72.8%	32	6,215	0	0.0%
52	Whittington Health NHS Trust	London	11.0	75.1%	27	953	0	0.0%
53	Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust	South East	11.1	67.1%	39	1,089	7	0.6%
54	The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust	Midlands	11.2	74.9%	29	3,153	0	0.0%
=55	Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	11.4	74.4%	27	1,586	1	0.1%
=55	Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	11.4	69.5%	32	2,325	6	0.3%
=55	Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South East	11.4	69.1%	33	3,973	9	0.2%
=58	Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust	London	11.5	70.3%	37	3,123	4	0.1%
=58	Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust	South West	11.5	69.0%	37	1,669	18	1.1%
=58	Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	South East	11.5	65.8%	34	222	0	0.0%
=61	Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust	London	11.7	73.6%	26	4,283	2	0.0%
=61	Airedale NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	11.7	72.5%	32	1,857	2	0.1%
63	University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust	Midlands	11.8	63.0%	42	5,218	81	1.6%
=64	Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	11.9	68.6%	32	3,333	0	0.0%
=64	Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	11.9	68.3%	41	3,322	30	0.9%
=64	Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust	London	11.9	68.2%	33	1,807	0	0.0%
=64	The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	11.9	66.1%	30	1,432	1	0.1%
68	Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust	London	12.0	66.9%	34	8,185	1	0.0%
69	Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	North West	12.1	72.1%	27	2,731	0	0.0%
70	Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	12.2	71.6%	27	921	0	0.0%
=71	University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust	South East	12.3	68.1%	33	4,074	35	0.9%
=71	University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust	Midlands	12.3	67.3%	34	5,976	4	0.1%
=71	Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	12.3	66.8%	33	11,056	73	0.7%
=74	King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	London	12.4	67.6%	38	5,068	63	1.2%
=74	Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust	North West	12.4	65.2%	28	5,402	1	0.0%
=74	University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	12.4	65.2%	33	3,728	47	1.3%
=77	Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust	Midlands	12.5	80.3%	27	66	0	0.0%
=77	Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust	South West	12.5	67.7%	31	4,057	4	0.1%
=77	Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	12.5	66.3%	29	701	0	0.0%
=77	Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	12.5	64.0%	30	1,346	0	0.0%
81	Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust	South West	12.7	63.3%	39	2,469	8	0.3%
82	East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust	South East	13.0	64.9%	33	4,189	13	0.3%
=83	London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust	London	13.1	67.3%	38	4,804	11	0.2%
=83	Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South East	13.1	64.7%	35	2,404	1	0.0%
=85	Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	London	13.6	65.1%	30	1,372	0	0.0%
=85	Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	13.6	61.3%	38	2,099	18	0.9%
=87	Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust	London	13.7	63.9%	41	3,442	89	2.6%
=87	St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	London	13.7	61.8%	40	5,695	91	1.6%
89	The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust	East of England	13.8	65.4%	32	3,930	15	0.4%
=90	Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust	North West	13.9	61.5%	39	8,044	43	0.5%
=90	Bristol NHS Foundation Trust	South West	13.9	59.8%	40	6,726	0	0.0%
92	Stockport NHS Foundation Trust	North West	14.0	59.7%	38	2,939	8	0.3%
93	Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	South West	14.4	57.9%	44	6,002	184	3.1%
94	Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust	London	14.5	58.6%	42	10,822	173	1.6%
=95	Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust	South East	14.6	62.9%	33	2,766	0	0.0%
=95	Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	14.6	60.8%	38	2,086	8	0.4%
=95	The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust	Midlands	14.6	59.6%	36	5,782	49	0.8%
98	York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	14.8	59.1%	39	2,496	34	1.4%
=99	Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust	South East	15.0	61.0%	37	1,975	4	0.2%
=99	Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	15.0	58.0%	40	2,906	42	1.4%
101	Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust	London	15.2	58.5%	34	8,245	7	0.1%
102	North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	15.4	57.6%	40	2,708	55	2.0%
103	Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	15.5	58.7%	37	6,634	0	0.0%
104	University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust	South East	15.9	55.4%	40	7,763	14	0.2%
105	Bolton NHS Foundation Trust	North West	16.3	53.8%	48	2,844	49	1.7%
=106	Wye Valley NHS Trust	Midlands	16.5	54.4%	41	1,870	34	1.8%
=106	Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	16.5	53.0%	47	5,186	278	5.4%
108	Isle of Wight NHS Trust	South East	16.8	51.4%	38	795	0	0.0%
109	Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South East	16.9	53.5%	40	4,020	76	1.9%
110	James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	17.1	52.3%	47	1,586	79	5.0%
111	North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	17.3	51.9%	43	6,270	68	1.1%
112	East Cheshire NHS Trust	North West	17.7	51.1%	45	1,431	12	0.8%
113	East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust	South East	17.9	50.1%	57	5,300	608	11.5%
114	Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	18.1	49.9%	42	4,980	27	0.5%
115	Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	North East and Yorkshire	18.2	49.5%	45	4,506	108	2.4%
116	Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	South West	18.5	49.1%	43	1,790	15	0.8%
117	Medway NHS Foundation Trust	South East	19.0	47.7%	44	3,322	29	0.9%
118	The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	London	19.6	45.9%	40	1,945	2	0.1%

Rank 1 is the shortest median wait; “=” marks a tie. Only NHS trusts with at least 20 cardiology pathways waiting and a published median are ranked, the same rule as on each trust’s specialty page. Independent-sector providers that treat NHS patients are not ranked. England: median 11.9 weeks, 67.9% under 18 weeks, 362,143 pathways waiting, 2,790 over 52 weeks.

How do NHS England regions compare for cardiology?

Cardiology by NHS England region, end of August 2026
Region	Trusts ranked	Shortest median	Region: under 18 weeks	Region: pathways waiting
London	17	Chelsea and Westminster Hospital (9.1 weeks)	66.4%	72,099
South East	19	Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare (7.3 weeks)	64.2%	56,195
South West	10	University Hospitals Dorset (9.8 weeks)	66.2%	36,195
Midlands	20	United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals (6.1 weeks)	70.9%	53,034
East of England	14	East and North Hertfordshire Teaching (8.3 weeks)	66.7%	53,963
North West	18	University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay (6.3 weeks)	68.1%	51,618
North East and Yorkshire	20	Leeds Teaching Hospitals (4.9 weeks)	74.5%	39,039

The last two columns are a Waiting Times UK calculation: we add up NHS England’s figures for every NHS and independent provider in the region with this specialty. Medians cannot be added up, so the region columns show the share under 18 weeks rather than a median.

What do these measures mean?

Median weeks waited: half the pathways on the list had waited this long or less so far, at the end of the month.
Under 18 weeks: the share of the list that had waited less than 18 weeks (the NHS standard is 92%). Pathways with an unknown start date are left out, as NHS England does.
92nd percentile: 92% of pathways had waited this many weeks or less.
Pathways waiting: the size of the list. A pathway is one patient’s wait for one specialty; a person can be on more than one list.
Over 52 weeks: pathways that had waited more than a year.

NHS England publishes these figures for each trust as a whole, not for each hospital. A trust can run several hospitals, so the site you are treated at may have a different wait. A trust is shown for a specialty only if at least 20 pathways were waiting. Specialist trusts, and trusts that take complex referrals from elsewhere, are not like for like with general hospitals.

Can I choose a hospital with a shorter wait?

In England you have a legal right to start consultant-led, non-urgent treatment within 18 weeks of referral, with some exceptions, and you can usually choose where you are referred for a first outpatient appointment. Each hospital has a Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) that can help with questions about your wait. Your waiting time rights explained.

Not medical advice. If your symptoms change or get worse while you wait, contact your GP or the team treating you. If it is not an emergency, NHS 111 online or calling 111 can tell you where to go, including urgent treatment centres, which often have shorter waits. Call 999 or go to A&E for life-threatening emergencies such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding or signs of a stroke.

More comparisons

Rankings for other specialties

How should I cite these figures?

Waiting Times UK, “Cardiology waiting times: NHS trusts ranked”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/compare/specialty/cardiology (accessed [date]). Where possible, cite the official publisher too.

Who wrote this page and where do the figures come from?

Written and maintained by the Waiting Times UK editorial team at Oaknest Media Ltd, an independent publisher that is not part of the NHS. Every figure is taken from an official publication, shown with its date, and linked below; where we add up or compare figures ourselves we say so. This page has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not medical advice. Page last updated 2 November 2026, from the data files named below. Figures change when the publisher releases new data.

NHS England: Referral to treatment waiting times (August 2026, published 8 October 2026)

Official statistics are reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. See data sources and methods and about Waiting Times UK.

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