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

Trauma and orthopaedics waiting times at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust

NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) figures for consultant-led trauma and orthopaedics care at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, in the NHS England North East and Yorkshire region. Patients waiting at the end of August 2026. Trauma and orthopaedics covers bones, joints, ligaments and muscles, for example hip and knee problems, back and spine problems, and hand and foot surgery.

Short answer: At the end of August 2026, 1,463 pathways were waiting for consultant-led trauma and orthopaedics care at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust. Half had waited 10.5 weeks or less so far (England 13.9 weeks), 66.2% had waited under 18 weeks (England 60.9%; standard 92%) and 23 had waited over 52 weeks.

Source: NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) statistics, published 8 October 2026. These are past figures, not a forecast of how long you will wait.

10.5 wksmedian wait so far: half had waited less (England 13.9 weeks)
66.2%waiting under 18 weeks (England 60.9%; standard 92%)
1,463pathways waiting at the end of August 2026
23waiting over 52 weeks (1.6% of the list)

Figures are for patients waiting at the end of August 2026 (NHS England RTT, published 8 October 2026). They show how long people had waited so far, not how long a new referral will wait, and they are not a guarantee of any wait. A pathway is one patient’s wait for one specialty; a person can be on more than one list.

Trauma and orthopaedics at Airedale: summary

At the end of August 2026 the median trauma and orthopaedics wait so far at Airedale was 10.5 weeks, shorter than England’s 13.9 weeks (a difference of 3.4 weeks, or 24%). Its share waiting under 18 weeks, 66.2%, was in line with the North East and Yorkshire region as a whole (64.7%). It ranked 22nd shortest of 124 NHS trusts for this measure, in the quarter of trusts with the shortest median trauma and orthopaedics waits. The figures improved between the end of February 2026 and August 2026: the median fell from 13.5 weeks to 10.5 weeks and the list shrank by 134 pathways (8%). Over the same months the England median went from 15.0 weeks to 13.9 weeks. 23 pathways (1.6% of the list) had waited over 52 weeks, below the England share of 2.6%. 3 of the 28 other NHS trusts within 60 miles had a shorter median; the nearest were East Lancashire Hospitals (about 23 miles away, median 7.4 weeks) and County Durham and Darlington (about 47 miles away, median 7.4 weeks).

How does Airedale compare for trauma and orthopaedics?

Trauma and orthopaedics waits, end of August 2026
MeasureAiredaleNorth East and Yorkshire regionEngland
Pathways waiting1,463132,019851,183
Waited under 18 weeks66.2%64.7%60.9%
Median weeks waited10.5not calculated13.9
92nd percentile weeks waited41not calculated43
Waited over 52 weeks23 (1.6%)2,791 (2.1%)22,043 (2.6%)

Region figures are a Waiting Times UK calculation: we add up NHS England’s figures for the 42 NHS and independent providers in the North East and Yorkshire region with this specialty. Medians and percentiles cannot be added up, so we do not show them for the region. The under-18-weeks share leaves out pathways with an unknown start date, as NHS England does.

Of the 124 NHS trusts in England with at least 20 trauma and orthopaedics pathways waiting, 21 had a shorter median wait than Airedale and 102 a longer one. See every trust on the trauma and orthopaedics waits page.

Has the trauma and orthopaedics wait at Airedale changed?

At the end of February 2026, 1,597 pathways were waiting and the median wait so far was 13.5 weeks. At the end of August 2026, 1,463 pathways were waiting and the median was 10.5 weeks. Past changes do not predict future waits.

Airedale: median trauma and orthopaedics wait (weeks)911131416Feb 26Mar 26Apr 26May 26Jun 26Jul 26Aug 26

Airedale: median trauma and orthopaedics wait (weeks) England trauma and orthopaedics

Trauma and orthopaedics at Airedale, month by month
Month endWaitingMedian weeksUnder 18 weeksOver 52 weeks
February 20261,59713.562.6%35
March 20261,56211.764.8%9
April 20261,46912.861.5%8
May 20261,42213.262.1%16
June 20261,42111.863.9%18
July 20261,43810.466.9%16
August 20261,46310.566.2%23

Which nearby trusts treat trauma and orthopaedics?

Trauma and orthopaedics: nearby NHS trusts, end of August 2026
Nearby trustDistanceMedian weeksUnder 18 weeksWaiting
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trustabout 9 miles14.759.1%1,953
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trustabout 18 miles11.172.2%2,458
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trustabout 19 miles15.656.0%6,886
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trustabout 19 miles13.262.5%3,575
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trustabout 23 miles7.478.1%6,583
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trustabout 24 miles15.755.4%5,160

Straight-line distance between the trusts’ registered addresses in the NHS Organisation Data Service. A trust may run several hospitals, so the site you are treated at can be elsewhere. Only trusts with at least 20 trauma and orthopaedics pathways waiting are listed.

Find trauma and orthopaedics waits near your postcode (England only).

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 waiting times

Other specialties at Airedale

Frequently asked questions

How long is the wait for trauma and orthopaedics at Airedale?

At the end of August 2026, half of the 1,463 pathways waiting for trauma and orthopaedics at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust had waited 10.5 weeks or less, and 66.2% had waited under 18 weeks. This is how long people on the list had waited so far, not a prediction of how long a new referral will take.

How does Airedale compare with England for trauma and orthopaedics?

Across England the median trauma and orthopaedics wait was 13.9 weeks and 60.9% had waited under 18 weeks at the end of August 2026. Of 124 NHS trusts with at least 20 pathways waiting, 21 had a shorter median wait.

Is this page from the NHS?

No. Waiting Times UK is an independent website, not part of the NHS, and this is not medical advice. The figures are NHS England’s, reproduced under the Open Government Licence.

How should I cite these figures?

Waiting Times UK, “Trauma and orthopaedics waiting times at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/specialty-waits/airedale-nhs-foundation-trust/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.

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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