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

General surgery waiting times: NHS trusts ranked

How long patients on the general surgery waiting list had waited at each NHS trust in England at the end of August 2026, from NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) statistics. General surgery covers a wide range of operations, for example hernias, gallbladder removal and some bowel and breast surgery (the mix varies by hospital). 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.

General surgery: summary

At the end of August 2026, 113 NHS trusts in England had at least 20 pathways waiting for general surgery. Their median waits so far ranged from 2.5 weeks at University Hospitals Dorset to 25.4 weeks at University Hospitals Sussex; the England median was 12.8 weeks. 50 of the 113 trusts had a median at or below the England figure. The share waiting under 18 weeks ranged from 37.2% to 91.4% (England 63.2%); no trust met the 92% standard. 16 trusts had no general surgery pathways waiting over 52 weeks; the most was 895 at Mid and South Essex.

Which NHS trusts have the shortest general surgery waits?

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

General surgery: 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	University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust	South West	2.5	89.3%	24	778	4	0.5%
2	Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	5.5	91.2%	20	2,439	0	0.0%
3	Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust	South East	6.0	76.4%	44	369	2	0.5%
4	Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	North West	6.4	85.3%	21	333	0	0.0%
5	The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust	London	6.8	87.8%	21	148	0	0.0%
6	South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	7.2	84.1%	25	4,766	0	0.0%
7	Airedale NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	7.5	78.2%	30	1,676	5	0.3%
8	Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust	North West	7.9	78.0%	28	1,296	0	0.0%
9	The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust	Midlands	8.7	66.9%	39	1,198	15	1.3%
10	Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	8.9	91.4%	19	6,637	0	0.0%
=11	University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	London	9.5	78.4%	23	74	0	0.0%
=11	Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	9.5	73.5%	31	5,492	0	0.0%
13	Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	North East and Yorkshire	9.6	77.8%	28	1,702	1	0.1%
=14	Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust	South East	9.8	81.5%	24	2,901	1	0.0%
=14	Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	9.8	68.0%	40	2,027	18	0.9%
=16	United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	10.0	83.0%	28	4,379	14	0.3%
=16	The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust	Midlands	10.0	73.6%	35	4,905	0	0.0%
18	Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust	South East	10.1	77.7%	30	3,047	8	0.3%
19	Bristol NHS Foundation Trust	South West	10.2	74.4%	31	712	0	0.0%
=20	North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust	North West	10.5	75.8%	33	718	2	0.3%
=20	Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	10.5	71.4%	31	2,126	0	0.0%
22	Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	10.8	69.5%	34	4,163	10	0.2%
=23	The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	10.9	73.6%	38	848	21	2.5%
=23	East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust	South East	10.9	73.0%	34	4,714	26	0.6%
=25	South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	11.0	72.5%	44	1,225	38	3.1%
=25	Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust	South East	11.0	70.2%	34	5,833	0	0.0%
=25	Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	11.0	69.1%	40	1,986	6	0.3%
=25	Bolton NHS Foundation Trust	North West	11.0	68.4%	37	4,119	2	0.0%
29	Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South East	11.3	76.5%	28	357	2	0.6%
30	James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	11.4	68.0%	35	3,316	32	1.0%
31	Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust	South East	11.5	65.9%	42	5,621	148	2.6%
32	Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust	Midlands	11.7	86.8%	29	38	0	0.0%
33	Stockport NHS Foundation Trust	North West	11.8	64.7%	38	3,410	15	0.4%
34	Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust	London	11.9	68.3%	42	6,112	106	1.7%
=35	Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South East	12.0	68.6%	39	1,631	17	1.0%
=35	The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust	East of England	12.0	66.8%	41	3,920	47	1.2%
=35	East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust	East of England	12.0	66.3%	35	2,228	5	0.2%
=35	Barts Health NHS Trust	London	12.0	65.8%	39	4,700	33	0.7%
39	Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	North West	12.1	66.1%	34	1,069	4	0.4%
=40	Medway NHS Foundation Trust	South East	12.2	68.5%	34	1,041	4	0.4%
=40	Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	London	12.2	63.3%	36	2,356	7	0.3%
=40	Somerset NHS Foundation Trust	South West	12.2	62.7%	40	2,627	65	2.5%
43	East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust	North West	12.3	64.0%	40	3,145	0	0.0%
=44	Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust	North East and Yorkshire	12.4	66.8%	35	1,727	4	0.2%
=44	London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust	London	12.4	65.7%	38	3,275	5	0.2%
=44	Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	12.4	63.9%	35	4,708	13	0.3%
=47	University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust	Midlands	12.5	66.7%	39	6,387	96	1.5%
=47	South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	12.5	65.3%	38	1,925	8	0.4%
49	Whittington Health NHS Trust	London	12.6	63.8%	43	4,341	72	1.7%
50	East Cheshire NHS Trust	North West	12.8	63.9%	41	1,270	18	1.4%
=51	University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust	South East	13.0	60.6%	49	762	45	5.9%
=51	University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	13.0	59.2%	32	4,546	1	0.0%
=53	North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	13.1	62.5%	39	6,130	19	0.3%
=53	Wye Valley NHS Trust	Midlands	13.1	61.5%	39	885	4	0.5%
55	University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust	Midlands	13.2	60.0%	45	9,743	357	3.7%
56	Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust	South West	13.3	66.1%	38	1,198	1	0.1%
57	University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust	Midlands	13.4	61.1%	47	7,814	356	4.6%
=58	Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	South West	13.5	62.9%	43	828	17	2.1%
=58	County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	13.5	59.8%	47	6,593	292	4.4%
60	Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust	South East	13.6	59.2%	56	1,265	127	10.0%
61	East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust	South East	13.7	58.6%	48	8,805	490	5.6%
=62	Croydon Health Services NHS Trust	London	13.8	66.0%	38	2,329	12	0.5%
=62	Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	13.8	60.6%	42	4,410	100	2.3%
=64	Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	13.9	59.7%	42	5,843	117	2.0%
=64	The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	13.9	57.4%	46	1,822	43	2.4%
66	Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust	London	14.0	60.1%	42	2,639	66	2.5%
67	Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	North West	14.1	60.3%	43	6,314	177	2.8%
=68	Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust	South West	14.2	61.8%	39	3,847	22	0.6%
=68	Isle of Wight NHS Trust	South East	14.2	57.6%	43	727	10	1.4%
=70	Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust	North West	14.3	59.4%	38	5,476	44	0.8%
=70	University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	14.3	57.5%	45	4,842	183	3.8%
=72	North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	14.5	59.6%	40	2,592	27	1.0%
=72	Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	14.5	59.0%	42	1,118	34	3.0%
=72	Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust	London	14.5	58.7%	39	2,233	2	0.1%
=72	George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust	Midlands	14.5	58.4%	39	1,283	4	0.3%
=76	Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	North East and Yorkshire	14.6	57.6%	46	7,710	283	3.7%
=76	Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	14.6	57.4%	36	312	0	0.0%
=76	The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	14.6	56.9%	44	1,526	44	2.9%
=79	Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	London	14.7	59.1%	44	4,217	97	2.3%
=79	The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	London	14.7	58.8%	38	1,371	2	0.1%
=79	Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust	South West	14.7	57.3%	43	1,994	27	1.4%
=82	Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South West	14.9	59.3%	45	4,596	173	3.8%
=82	Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	14.9	58.0%	37	5,213	7	0.1%
=82	Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust	Midlands	14.9	57.1%	43	1,670	1	0.1%
=85	Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust	South East	15.2	57.5%	41	2,470	5	0.2%
=85	Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust	South East	15.2	56.1%	50	7,392	467	6.3%
87	Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust	London	15.5	55.8%	39	1,648	1	0.1%
=88	Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust	London	15.6	56.4%	44	7,149	200	2.8%
=88	Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	15.6	55.2%	43	4,247	52	1.2%
90	East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	15.8	54.9%	42	6,962	53	0.8%
91	Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	16.2	52.9%	56	9,158	895	9.8%
92	Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	16.3	55.4%	42	4,069	21	0.5%
93	West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	East of England	16.4	54.3%	45	3,380	64	1.9%
94	West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	16.5	53.4%	43	2,010	38	1.9%
95	Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	16.9	52.6%	42	1,616	21	1.3%
96	Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	17.2	53.7%	46	916	25	2.7%
97	Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	18.1	49.8%	43	1,288	14	1.1%
=98	Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust	North West	18.7	48.5%	53	5,701	480	8.4%
=98	North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	18.7	48.1%	47	1,142	36	3.2%
=100	Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	18.8	48.4%	46	2,262	66	2.9%
=100	Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	18.8	48.3%	46	2,269	39	1.7%
=100	Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust	London	18.8	47.7%	38	1,024	1	0.1%
103	University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust	North West	18.9	48.3%	47	2,372	69	2.9%
=104	St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	London	19.5	47.2%	49	1,234	67	5.4%
=104	The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	19.5	46.7%	43	3,472	0	0.0%
=104	Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	South West	19.5	46.4%	43	1,408	7	0.5%
107	Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	20.0	46.3%	46	214	1	0.5%
108	Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	20.4	44.5%	51	2,129	134	6.3%
109	Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust	London	20.9	44.5%	48	4,391	164	3.7%
110	Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South East	21.8	43.0%	51	2,784	193	6.9%
111	King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	London	23.5	40.1%	51	4,836	329	6.8%
112	Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	23.7	42.2%	55	1,300	175	13.5%
113	University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust	South East	25.4	37.2%	56	2,798	338	12.1%

Rank 1 is the shortest median wait; “=” marks a tie. Only NHS trusts with at least 20 general surgery 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 12.8 weeks, 63.2% under 18 weeks, 384,914 pathways waiting, 8,213 over 52 weeks.

How do NHS England regions compare for general surgery?

General surgery by NHS England region, end of August 2026
Region	Trusts ranked	Shortest median	Region: under 18 weeks	Region: pathways waiting
London	18	The Royal Marsden (6.8 weeks)	60.0%	58,901
South East	17	Frimley Health (6.0 weeks)	64.0%	56,810
South West	9	University Hospitals Dorset (2.5 weeks)	64.0%	21,004
Midlands	20	The Royal Wolverhampton (8.7 weeks)	63.0%	75,384
East of England	13	James Paget University Hospitals (11.4 weeks)	58.7%	56,401
North West	17	Wirral University Teaching Hospital (6.4 weeks)	61.6%	49,648
North East and Yorkshire	19	Gateshead Health (5.5 weeks)	70.2%	66,766

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, “General surgery waiting times: NHS trusts ranked”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/compare/specialty/general-surgery (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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