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

Trauma and orthopaedics waiting times: NHS trusts ranked

How long patients on the trauma and orthopaedics waiting list had waited at each NHS trust in England at the end of August 2026, from NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) statistics. Trauma and orthopaedics covers bones, joints, ligaments and muscles, for example hip and knee problems, back and spine problems, and hand and foot surgery. 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.

Trauma and orthopaedics: summary

At the end of August 2026, 124 NHS trusts in England had at least 20 pathways waiting for trauma and orthopaedics. Their median waits so far ranged from 2.4 weeks at Birmingham Community Healthcare to 30.8 weeks at Mid and South Essex; the England median was 13.9 weeks. 54 of the 124 trusts had a median at or below the England figure. The share waiting under 18 weeks ranged from 28.7% to 100.0% (England 60.9%); 4 trusts met the 92% standard. 18 trusts had no trauma and orthopaedics pathways waiting over 52 weeks; the most was 2,418 at Mid and South Essex.

Which NHS trusts have the shortest trauma and orthopaedics waits?

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

Trauma and orthopaedics: 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	Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	2.4	100.0%	8	52	0	0.0%
=2	Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust	South West	3.5	100.0%	8	93	0	0.0%
=2	Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust	Midlands	3.5	97.6%	13	42	0	0.0%
4	Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust	North West	6.2	87.1%	22	2,778	0	0.0%
5	Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust	South East	7.1	99.7%	16	3,828	0	0.0%
=6	East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust	North West	7.4	78.1%	31	6,583	7	0.1%
=6	County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	7.4	74.6%	37	10,240	176	1.7%
8	North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	8.0	85.1%	23	7,078	17	0.2%
9	Whittington Health NHS Trust	London	8.5	78.1%	29	2,089	0	0.0%
10	University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	8.6	77.2%	28	4,712	0	0.0%
11	South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	8.7	85.6%	24	3,614	0	0.0%
12	Croydon Health Services NHS Trust	London	9.0	80.1%	30	3,706	13	0.4%
=13	George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust	Midlands	9.1	78.8%	28	2,125	0	0.0%
=13	Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust	London	9.1	77.8%	29	4,774	5	0.1%
=13	University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	London	9.1	73.6%	32	3,449	1	0.0%
=16	Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	South East	9.5	83.2%	23	3,659	0	0.0%
=16	East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust	South East	9.5	77.9%	31	10,207	78	0.8%
18	Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	North West	9.7	67.4%	40	7,922	148	1.9%
19	Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust	South East	10.0	82.9%	23	2,231	3	0.1%
20	Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust	Midlands	10.3	82.9%	22	7,287	1	0.0%
21	James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	10.4	73.0%	32	2,076	11	0.5%
22	Airedale NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	10.5	66.2%	41	1,463	23	1.6%
=23	Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust	South East	10.8	75.6%	29	4,271	0	0.0%
=23	The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust	Midlands	10.8	71.6%	35	6,676	54	0.8%
25	Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	11.1	72.2%	30	2,458	1	0.0%
26	Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	North West	11.4	67.9%	38	2,549	3	0.1%
27	Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust	North West	11.5	67.0%	32	3,369	0	0.0%
28	St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	London	11.7	67.8%	33	4,118	4	0.1%
29	Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust	South West	11.8	68.8%	37	2,696	25	0.9%
30	Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust	Midlands	11.9	64.5%	41	4,036	10	0.2%
=31	Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	12.1	70.5%	34	10,783	0	0.0%
=31	Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	12.1	65.0%	36	1,955	2	0.1%
=33	United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	12.3	66.5%	38	5,934	52	0.9%
=33	Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust	South West	12.3	66.0%	38	2,930	11	0.4%
=33	The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	12.3	62.6%	44	7,745	256	3.3%
=36	South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	12.4	67.5%	37	5,592	41	0.7%
=36	York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	12.4	65.2%	40	4,934	62	1.3%
=38	Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South East	12.6	66.5%	39	7,920	146	1.8%
=38	Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust	London	12.6	64.5%	36	3,215	2	0.1%
=40	Somerset NHS Foundation Trust	South West	12.7	62.8%	47	9,296	389	4.2%
=40	University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust	North West	12.7	61.7%	44	6,403	211	3.3%
42	The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	12.8	64.5%	36	11,098	69	0.6%
43	Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust	London	13.0	62.5%	46	5,996	184	3.1%
44	University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust	Midlands	13.1	61.6%	46	5,008	167	3.3%
45	Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	13.2	62.5%	39	3,575	10	0.3%
46	The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	13.3	63.6%	38	4,250	0	0.0%
=47	Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust	South East	13.4	62.7%	42	5,951	167	2.8%
=47	Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	13.4	62.5%	41	9,408	212	2.3%
=47	Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust	London	13.4	61.9%	37	6,885	32	0.5%
=47	East Cheshire NHS Trust	North West	13.4	60.9%	43	1,571	33	2.1%
=47	Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	North East and Yorkshire	13.4	60.8%	44	4,784	156	3.3%
52	Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust	London	13.7	61.4%	38	5,150	30	0.6%
53	Bristol NHS Foundation Trust	South West	13.8	62.4%	38	8,550	76	0.9%
54	King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	London	13.9	61.8%	41	3,861	51	1.3%
=55	Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust	South East	14.0	60.9%	42	14,239	335	2.4%
=55	Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	14.0	59.4%	42	2,871	65	2.3%
57	Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	14.1	59.8%	42	3,435	51	1.5%
=58	Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South East	14.2	60.7%	41	5,901	92	1.6%
=58	The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	London	14.2	59.8%	39	5,993	31	0.5%
60	Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust	North West	14.4	59.0%	41	12,085	189	1.6%
61	North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	14.5	60.1%	40	2,941	26	0.9%
=62	Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	14.7	59.1%	42	1,953	31	1.6%
=62	Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	14.7	59.0%	37	3,184	19	0.6%
64	Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	London	14.8	58.7%	42	2,580	55	2.1%
=65	Stockport NHS Foundation Trust	North West	14.9	59.0%	40	6,468	49	0.8%
=65	Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	North West	14.9	58.3%	42	2,587	20	0.8%
67	London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust	London	15.0	59.5%	41	6,566	37	0.6%
=68	Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust	London	15.1	60.0%	39	4,364	26	0.6%
=68	Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	15.1	58.0%	40	4,462	16	0.4%
=68	Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South East	15.1	57.4%	43	8,112	196	2.4%
71	Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	15.2	58.0%	42	2,522	51	2.0%
=72	Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	15.3	58.7%	40	6,095	28	0.5%
=72	Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	15.3	58.5%	38	1,826	0	0.0%
=74	Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	15.5	56.8%	45	3,071	96	3.1%
=74	Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	15.5	55.5%	43	3,021	57	1.9%
=76	Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	North East and Yorkshire	15.6	56.0%	49	6,886	420	6.1%
=76	South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	15.6	55.4%	39	8,783	0	0.0%
=78	Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust	North East and Yorkshire	15.7	55.4%	45	5,160	137	2.7%
=78	Bolton NHS Foundation Trust	North West	15.7	55.2%	44	2,319	54	2.3%
=78	Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust	North West	15.7	54.3%	47	14,823	686	4.6%
=81	Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	London	15.9	55.7%	45	5,459	153	2.8%
=81	Barts Health NHS Trust	London	15.9	55.5%	40	8,893	55	0.6%
=81	North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	15.9	55.2%	42	7,105	54	0.8%
=81	The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	15.9	55.2%	47	2,046	75	3.7%
=85	Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust	London	16.0	56.6%	38	2,776	5	0.2%
=85	Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust	South East	16.0	56.1%	41	4,881	0	0.0%
=87	Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	16.2	55.5%	41	4,613	23	0.5%
=87	Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	16.2	54.8%	40	4,672	52	1.1%
89	Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust	London	16.3	54.4%	47	9,609	352	3.7%
90	Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust	South East	16.4	53.7%	44	12,240	238	1.9%
=91	The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust	East of England	16.5	54.0%	43	5,501	48	0.9%
=91	The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	16.5	53.1%	45	4,888	91	1.9%
=93	University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust	South West	16.7	53.7%	45	8,476	238	2.8%
=93	Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	16.7	52.9%	48	7,942	373	4.7%
95	Medway NHS Foundation Trust	South East	16.8	54.1%	38	3,116	5	0.2%
=96	West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	East of England	16.9	53.2%	44	5,047	108	2.1%
=96	Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	16.9	53.1%	47	2,398	72	3.0%
=96	Isle of Wight NHS Trust	South East	16.9	52.2%	47	2,269	69	3.0%
99	Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust	South East	17.0	52.7%	44	3,068	111	3.6%
=100	Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	17.1	52.0%	54	13,041	1,140	8.7%
=100	Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South West	17.1	52.0%	43	9,401	25	0.3%
102	East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	17.2	52.2%	42	10,692	59	0.6%
=103	North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust	North West	17.3	52.1%	46	3,394	111	3.3%
=103	University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust	Midlands	17.3	51.5%	45	5,244	178	3.4%
105	West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	17.6	51.2%	44	4,215	72	1.7%
106	Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust	South East	17.7	50.8%	48	5,003	262	5.2%
107	University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust	South East	17.8	50.6%	49	4,081	200	4.9%
108	Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust	South West	18.0	50.1%	50	5,637	361	6.4%
=109	Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South West	18.3	49.4%	46	5,943	203	3.4%
=109	Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	South West	18.3	49.2%	50	10,106	605	6.0%
111	Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust	South East	18.4	49.1%	47	5,011	173	3.5%
112	University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	18.5	49.0%	49	17,672	947	5.4%
113	Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	18.6	48.2%	55	8,469	819	9.7%
114	University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust	South East	18.8	48.4%	49	7,875	396	5.0%
115	Wye Valley NHS Trust	Midlands	19.0	47.7%	57	3,777	390	10.3%
=116	East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust	East of England	19.3	47.7%	50	4,917	273	5.6%
=116	Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	19.3	46.6%	46	5,536	166	3.0%
118	Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	South West	19.4	46.1%	48	3,432	140	4.1%
119	The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust	Midlands	19.9	46.2%	45	2,333	0	0.0%
120	East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust	South East	20.7	44.0%	47	8,187	319	3.9%
121	Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	20.8	45.5%	51	7,426	482	6.5%
122	The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	20.9	44.3%	71	15,109	2,234	14.8%
123	University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust	Midlands	23.9	39.1%	53	11,858	968	8.2%
124	Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	30.8	28.7%	67	11,377	2,418	21.3%

Rank 1 is the shortest median wait; “=” marks a tie. Only NHS trusts with at least 20 trauma and orthopaedics 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 13.9 weeks, 60.9% under 18 weeks, 851,183 pathways waiting, 22,043 over 52 weeks.

How do NHS England regions compare for trauma and orthopaedics?

Trauma and orthopaedics by NHS England region, end of August 2026
Region	Trusts ranked	Shortest median	Region: under 18 weeks	Region: pathways waiting
London	18	Whittington Health (8.5 weeks)	64.2%	100,645
South East	20	Kent Community Health (7.1 weeks)	62.3%	144,624
South West	11	Cornwall Partnership (3.5 weeks)	59.0%	92,454
Midlands	24	Birmingham Community Healthcare (2.4 weeks)	59.6%	167,254
East of England	13	James Paget University Hospitals (10.4 weeks)	51.3%	96,805
North West	18	Lancashire & South Cumbria (6.2 weeks)	63.1%	117,382
North East and Yorkshire	20	County Durham and Darlington (7.4 weeks)	64.7%	132,019

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, “Trauma and orthopaedics waiting times: NHS trusts ranked”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/compare/specialty/trauma-and-orthopaedics (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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