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

Rheumatology waiting times at Barts Health NHS Trust

NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) figures for consultant-led rheumatology care at Barts Health NHS Trust, in the NHS England London region. Patients waiting at the end of August 2026. Rheumatology covers joints, muscles and bones affected by inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, for example rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and gout.

Short answer: At the end of August 2026, 1,262 pathways were waiting for consultant-led rheumatology care at Barts Health NHS Trust. Half had waited 10.1 weeks or less so far (England 10.9 weeks), 75.3% had waited under 18 weeks (England 70.4%; standard 92%) and 0 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.

10.1 wksmedian wait so far: half had waited less (England 10.9 weeks)

75.3%waiting under 18 weeks (England 70.4%; standard 92%)

1,262pathways waiting at the end of August 2026

0waiting over 52 weeks (0.0% 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.

Rheumatology at Barts Health: summary

At the end of August 2026 the median rheumatology wait so far at Barts Health was 10.1 weeks, slightly shorter than England’s 10.9 weeks (a difference of 0.8 weeks, or 7%). Its share waiting under 18 weeks, 75.3%, was in line with the London region as a whole (74.5%). Of 113 NHS trusts with at least 20 rheumatology pathways waiting, 55 reported a shorter median and 55 a longer one, which puts Barts Health in the middle half. Waits lengthened between the end of February 2026 and August 2026: the median rose from 7.3 weeks to 10.1 weeks and the list grew by 202 pathways (19%). Over the same months the England median went from 11.7 weeks to 10.9 weeks. None of the 1,262 pathways had waited over 52 weeks (England 0.9%). 17 of the 38 other NHS trusts within 60 miles had a shorter median; the nearest were Homerton Healthcare (about 2 miles away, median 3.4 weeks) and Guy's and St Thomas' (about 3 miles away, median 5.7 weeks).

How does Barts Health compare for rheumatology?

Rheumatology waits, end of August 2026
Measure	Barts Health	London region	England
Pathways waiting	1,262	17,268	118,397
Waited under 18 weeks	75.3%	74.5%	70.4%
Median weeks waited	10.1	not calculated	10.9
92nd percentile weeks waited	27	not calculated	35
Waited over 52 weeks	0 (0.0%)	43 (0.2%)	1,070 (0.9%)

Region figures are a Waiting Times UK calculation: we add up NHS England’s figures for the 20 NHS and independent providers in the London 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 113 NHS trusts in England with at least 20 rheumatology pathways waiting, 55 had a shorter median wait than Barts Health and 55 a longer one. See all specialties on the operation and treatment waits page.

Has the rheumatology wait at Barts Health changed?

At the end of February 2026, 1,060 pathways were waiting and the median wait so far was 7.3 weeks. At the end of August 2026, 1,262 pathways were waiting and the median was 10.1 weeks. Past changes do not predict future waits.

Barts Health: median rheumatology wait (weeks) England rheumatology

Rheumatology at Barts Health, month by month
Month end	Waiting	Median weeks	Under 18 weeks	Over 52 weeks
February 2026	1,060	7.3	74.9%	1
March 2026	1,047	6.9	83.1%	0
April 2026	1,110	6.7	85.0%	2
May 2026	1,195	8.8	83.3%	0
June 2026	1,322	8.9	80.0%	0
July 2026	1,344	9.0	78.1%	1
August 2026	1,262	10.1	75.3%	0

Which nearby trusts treat rheumatology?

Rheumatology: nearby NHS trusts, end of August 2026
Nearby trust	Distance	Median weeks	Under 18 weeks	Waiting
Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	about 2 miles	3.4	99.0%	197
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust	about 3 miles	5.7	95.5%	486
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	about 4 miles	12.5	64.2%	827
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	about 4 miles	10.7	78.4%	1,087
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust	about 5 miles	8.4	80.8%	610
Whittington Health NHS Trust	about 5 miles	5.5	97.4%	305

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 rheumatology pathways waiting are listed.

Find rheumatology 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 Barts Health

Frequently asked questions

How long is the wait for rheumatology at Barts Health?

At the end of August 2026, half of the 1,262 pathways waiting for rheumatology at Barts Health NHS Trust had waited 10.1 weeks or less, and 75.3% 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 Barts Health compare with England for rheumatology?

Across England the median rheumatology wait was 10.9 weeks and 70.4% had waited under 18 weeks at the end of August 2026. Of 113 NHS trusts with at least 20 pathways waiting, 55 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, “Rheumatology waiting times at Barts Health NHS Trust”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/specialty-waits/barts-health-nhs-trust/rheumatology (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)
NHS England: Referral to treatment waiting times, full CSV data files (February 2026 to August 2026; used for the month-by-month trend)
NHS England: Organisation Data Service (trust registered addresses, used for distances), geocoded with postcodes.io (ONS Postcode Directory, OGL)

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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