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

Ear, nose and throat (ENT) waiting times: NHS trusts ranked

How long patients on the ENT waiting list had waited at each NHS trust in England at the end of August 2026, from NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) statistics. Ear, nose and throat (ENT) covers the ear, nose, throat, head and neck, for example hearing problems, sinus problems and tonsils. 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.

Ear, nose and throat (ENT): summary

At the end of August 2026, 112 NHS trusts in England had at least 20 pathways waiting for ENT. Their median waits so far ranged from 4.2 weeks at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare to 24.5 weeks at Mid and South Essex; the England median was 15.4 weeks. 65 of the 112 trusts had a median at or below the England figure. The share waiting under 18 weeks ranged from 38.6% to 97.6% (England 56.8%); 2 trusts met the 92% standard. 14 trusts had no ENT pathways waiting over 52 weeks; the most was 2,291 at Mid and South Essex.

Which NHS trusts have the shortest ENT waits?

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

Ear, nose and throat (ENT): 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	Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	South East	4.2	97.6%	13	41	0	0.0%
2	King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	London	5.1	93.5%	17	846	0	0.0%
3	East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust	North West	7.4	78.8%	28	3,545	0	0.0%
4	Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	South East	8.9	76.0%	30	154	2	1.3%
5	South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	9.0	81.9%	24	5,138	0	0.0%
6	The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	10.7	68.0%	41	2,303	45	2.0%
=7	Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust	South West	10.8	74.5%	29	3,385	5	0.1%
=7	Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	10.8	71.1%	34	2,390	26	1.1%
9	Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	London	10.9	65.8%	41	2,505	23	0.9%
=10	The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	11.2	73.1%	29	8,787	23	0.3%
=10	University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust	North West	11.2	70.0%	38	3,615	47	1.3%
=10	Isle of Wight NHS Trust	South East	11.2	68.5%	28	774	0	0.0%
13	Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust	London	11.4	73.9%	28	2,341	4	0.2%
14	Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	11.6	69.9%	33	3,369	9	0.3%
15	Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust	Midlands	11.9	68.6%	29	2,746	0	0.0%
=16	County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	12.1	70.2%	29	3,985	1	0.0%
=16	Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust	London	12.1	66.0%	37	5,455	43	0.8%
18	Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust	South East	12.2	71.7%	29	2,871	8	0.3%
=19	The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust	East of England	12.4	69.3%	39	3,311	36	1.1%
=19	Bristol NHS Foundation Trust	South West	12.4	66.1%	36	5,546	2	0.0%
=21	Medway NHS Foundation Trust	South East	12.6	67.0%	30	4,840	0	0.0%
=21	Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	12.6	63.0%	38	3,450	41	1.2%
23	Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South East	12.7	65.4%	39	3,246	59	1.8%
=24	University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	12.8	67.7%	34	8,450	57	0.7%
=24	Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust	South East	12.8	63.8%	33	5,149	51	1.0%
=24	East Cheshire NHS Trust	North West	12.8	62.0%	40	1,365	8	0.6%
=24	London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust	London	12.8	61.9%	44	8,076	319	3.9%
=24	Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust	North West	12.8	61.8%	34	1,792	0	0.0%
29	Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust	London	12.9	63.6%	32	4,017	29	0.7%
=30	Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	13.0	66.8%	39	4,902	102	2.1%
=30	North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	13.0	62.7%	32	3,509	4	0.1%
=32	Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	North West	13.1	65.3%	29	3,011	1	0.0%
=32	Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	13.1	63.9%	34	3,392	14	0.4%
34	Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust	London	13.2	62.4%	38	7,922	3	0.0%
35	Airedale NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	13.3	63.8%	32	1,339	1	0.1%
36	Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	13.4	61.5%	33	4,856	2	0.0%
37	University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	London	13.5	61.3%	40	7,621	52	0.7%
=38	Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	13.6	66.1%	31	3,219	8	0.2%
=38	Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust	London	13.6	63.4%	46	4,469	156	3.5%
40	West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	13.7	64.3%	37	2,982	13	0.4%
41	East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust	South East	13.8	60.6%	39	5,269	0	0.0%
=42	Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	13.9	64.8%	37	5,176	3	0.1%
=42	Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust	South East	13.9	62.3%	33	4,588	3	0.1%
44	University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust	South East	14.1	58.5%	50	1,680	110	6.5%
45	Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	14.2	61.8%	34	3,318	2	0.1%
=46	Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	14.3	64.6%	32	3,363	4	0.1%
=46	Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	North West	14.3	59.4%	42	7,932	113	1.4%
48	The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	14.4	58.0%	40	2,584	35	1.4%
49	Stockport NHS Foundation Trust	North West	14.5	57.5%	36	3,880	1	0.0%
50	The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust	Midlands	14.6	59.7%	39	4,523	0	0.0%
51	Wye Valley NHS Trust	Midlands	14.9	59.1%	40	2,522	30	1.2%
52	Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust	South East	15.0	58.0%	39	3,096	26	0.8%
=53	Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust	South West	15.1	60.6%	39	3,965	36	0.9%
=53	Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South East	15.1	59.0%	45	4,374	94	2.1%
=53	South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	15.1	58.9%	34	3,791	26	0.7%
=53	Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South West	15.1	58.5%	46	3,474	152	4.4%
=53	Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust	North West	15.1	58.0%	39	9,412	77	0.8%
=53	Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust	South East	15.1	58.0%	42	5,597	155	2.8%
=53	Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	North East and Yorkshire	15.1	56.8%	49	3,264	210	6.4%
=60	St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	London	15.2	57.4%	38	5,251	16	0.3%
=60	Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	15.2	57.1%	47	5,773	273	4.7%
=60	Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust	South West	15.2	57.1%	40	3,150	10	0.3%
63	Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	South West	15.3	56.6%	41	2,832	38	1.3%
=64	Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	15.4	57.0%	32	2,810	0	0.0%
=64	University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust	Midlands	15.4	56.0%	49	4,214	230	5.5%
66	Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	15.6	55.0%	46	3,481	120	3.4%
=67	University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust	South West	15.7	55.9%	39	5,874	11	0.2%
=67	Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust	North East and Yorkshire	15.7	55.5%	39	7,337	34	0.5%
=67	East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust	East of England	15.7	55.1%	41	6,061	61	1.0%
=67	Somerset NHS Foundation Trust	South West	15.7	54.5%	46	4,851	202	4.2%
=71	Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust	Midlands	15.8	56.8%	32	347	0	0.0%
=71	Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust	South East	15.8	55.6%	48	7,160	303	4.2%
=73	Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South West	15.9	55.7%	37	5,506	1	0.0%
=73	Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	15.9	55.7%	43	9,056	215	2.4%
=73	York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	15.9	55.5%	40	7,389	109	1.5%
=73	Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust	North West	15.9	54.8%	44	9,751	303	3.1%
77	South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	16.1	54.9%	41	6,967	41	0.6%
78	Croydon Health Services NHS Trust	London	16.3	54.2%	49	2,196	119	5.4%
79	North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust	North West	16.5	54.4%	39	3,680	37	1.0%
80	North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	16.6	54.0%	39	7,325	34	0.5%
81	Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust	London	16.7	54.3%	40	9,112	174	1.9%
=82	Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	17.1	53.3%	45	8,574	187	2.2%
=82	The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust	Midlands	17.1	52.7%	43	6,334	171	2.7%
84	Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	North West	17.2	52.4%	40	4,017	14	0.3%
=85	Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust	South East	17.4	52.5%	36	6,110	1	0.0%
=85	The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	London	17.4	51.8%	40	3,657	49	1.3%
=85	Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	South West	17.4	51.7%	42	4,933	82	1.7%
=85	The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	17.4	51.4%	36	4,933	0	0.0%
=89	Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	London	17.5	51.4%	42	5,478	109	2.0%
=89	East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	17.5	51.3%	40	10,902	23	0.2%
=89	University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	17.5	51.3%	43	9,774	198	2.0%
92	Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	17.6	51.0%	47	6,037	170	2.8%
93	Bolton NHS Foundation Trust	North West	17.7	50.8%	42	4,372	104	2.4%
94	Barts Health NHS Trust	London	17.8	50.5%	47	6,006	259	4.3%
95	Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	17.9	50.2%	46	6,658	302	4.5%
96	Whittington Health NHS Trust	London	18.0	49.9%	31	2,606	0	0.0%
97	Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust	London	18.1	49.7%	43	8,292	133	1.6%
98	Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	North East and Yorkshire	18.4	48.9%	46	6,701	243	3.6%
=99	Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South East	18.7	48.8%	46	7,261	200	2.8%
=99	Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	18.7	48.3%	45	4,781	133	2.8%
=101	University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust	Midlands	18.8	48.2%	47	7,128	238	3.3%
=101	Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	18.8	48.0%	46	7,928	212	2.7%
103	West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	East of England	19.6	47.0%	48	3,095	109	3.5%
104	Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	20.3	44.7%	43	4,779	63	1.3%
105	United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	20.5	44.3%	45	9,895	96	1.0%
=106	University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust	South East	21.0	44.5%	47	8,156	253	3.1%
=106	James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	21.0	40.9%	54	3,562	329	9.2%
108	East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust	South East	21.2	42.9%	46	9,687	237	2.4%
109	University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust	Midlands	23.1	39.4%	49	8,448	410	4.9%
110	George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust	Midlands	23.4	39.8%	46	2,242	40	1.8%
111	Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	23.9	38.6%	48	7,468	210	2.8%
112	Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	24.5	40.4%	61	14,099	2,291	16.2%

Rank 1 is the shortest median wait; “=” marks a tie. Only NHS trusts with at least 20 ENT 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 15.4 weeks, 56.8% under 18 weeks, 590,233 pathways waiting, 12,031 over 52 weeks.

How do NHS England regions compare for ENT?

Ear, nose and throat (ENT) by NHS England region, end of August 2026
Region	Trusts ranked	Shortest median	Region: under 18 weeks	Region: pathways waiting
London	17	King's College Hospital (5.1 weeks)	59.3%	92,406
South East	18	Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare (4.2 weeks)	55.8%	84,020
South West	10	Royal Cornwall Hospitals (10.8 weeks)	58.8%	44,731
Midlands	20	Chesterfield Royal Hospital (10.8 weeks)	52.6%	109,317
East of England	13	The Princess Alexandra Hospital (12.4 weeks)	52.0%	78,247
North West	17	East Lancashire Hospitals (7.4 weeks)	59.1%	96,413
North East and Yorkshire	17	South Tyneside and Sunderland (9.0 weeks)	61.0%	85,099

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, “Ear, nose and throat (ENT) waiting times: NHS trusts ranked”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/compare/specialty/ent (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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