Referral to treatment (RTT) data for August 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Page updated 2 November 2026
Cardiology waiting times at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) figures for consultant-led cardiology care at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, in the NHS England North West region. Patients waiting at the end of August 2026. Cardiology covers the heart, for example chest pain clinics, abnormal heart rhythms and heart failure.
Short answer: At the end of August 2026, 5,186 pathways were waiting for consultant-led cardiology care at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Half had waited 16.5 weeks or less so far (England 11.9 weeks), 53.0% had waited under 18 weeks (England 67.9%; standard 92%) and 278 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.
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.
Cardiology at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals: summary
The median cardiology wait so far at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals was 16.5 weeks for patients waiting at the end of August 2026, 4.6 weeks (39%) longer than the England median of 11.9 weeks. The share waiting under 18 weeks, 53.0%, was 15.1 percentage points below the figure for the North West region (68.1%). It was among the quarter of NHS trusts with the longest median cardiology waits: joint 12th longest of 118. The median was broadly flat between the end of February 2026 and August 2026 (16.1 weeks to 16.5 weeks), while the list shrank by 424 pathways (8%). Over the same months the England median went from 12.3 weeks to 11.9 weeks. 278 pathways (5.4% of the list) had waited over 52 weeks, about 7.0 times the England share of 0.8%. 18 of the 19 other NHS trusts within 60 miles had a shorter median; the nearest were Lancashire Teaching Hospitals (about 13 miles away, median 11.9 weeks) and East Lancashire Hospitals (about 23 miles away, median 7.1 weeks).
How does Blackpool Teaching Hospitals compare for cardiology?
| Measure | Blackpool Teaching Hospitals | North West region | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pathways waiting | 5,186 | 51,618 | 362,143 |
| Waited under 18 weeks | 53.0% | 68.1% | 67.9% |
| Median weeks waited | 16.5 | not calculated | 11.9 |
| 92nd percentile weeks waited | 47 | not calculated | 36 |
| Waited over 52 weeks | 278 (5.4%) | 401 (0.8%) | 2,790 (0.8%) |
Region figures are a Waiting Times UK calculation: we add up NHS England’s figures for the 20 NHS and independent providers in the North West 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 118 NHS trusts in England with at least 20 cardiology pathways waiting, 105 had a shorter median wait than Blackpool Teaching Hospitals and 11 a longer one. See every trust on the cardiology waits page.
Has the cardiology wait at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals changed?
At the end of February 2026, 5,610 pathways were waiting and the median wait so far was 16.1 weeks. At the end of August 2026, 5,186 pathways were waiting and the median was 16.5 weeks. Past changes do not predict future waits.
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals: median cardiology wait (weeks) England cardiology
| Month end | Waiting | Median weeks | Under 18 weeks | Over 52 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2026 | 5,610 | 16.1 | 54.6% | 204 |
| March 2026 | 5,410 | 15.5 | 56.5% | 256 |
| April 2026 | 5,490 | 15.5 | 53.6% | 291 |
| May 2026 | 5,349 | 16.8 | 53.3% | 293 |
| June 2026 | 5,298 | 17.3 | 52.0% | 263 |
| July 2026 | 5,254 | 17.9 | 50.3% | 290 |
| August 2026 | 5,186 | 16.5 | 53.0% | 278 |
Which nearby trusts treat cardiology?
| Nearby trust | Distance | Median weeks | Under 18 weeks | Waiting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | about 13 miles | 11.9 | 68.6% | 3,333 |
| East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust | about 23 miles | 7.1 | 91.0% | 1,862 |
| Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | about 24 miles | 10.6 | 67.9% | 3,230 |
| Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | about 28 miles | 10.7 | 73.2% | 3,478 |
| Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | about 29 miles | 12.1 | 72.1% | 2,731 |
| Bolton NHS Foundation Trust | about 30 miles | 16.3 | 53.8% | 2,844 |
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 cardiology pathways waiting are listed.
Find cardiology 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
- All waiting times at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Cardiology waits at every trust in England
- Search by postcode
- All specialty pages by trust
Other specialties at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals
- Cardiothoracic surgery
- Dermatology
- Ear, nose and throat (ENT)
- Elderly medicine
- Gastroenterology
- General surgery
- Gynaecology
- Ophthalmology
- Oral surgery
- Plastic surgery
- Respiratory medicine
- Rheumatology
- Trauma and orthopaedics
- Urology
Frequently asked questions
How long is the wait for cardiology at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals?
At the end of August 2026, half of the 5,186 pathways waiting for cardiology at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust had waited 16.5 weeks or less, and 53.0% 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 Blackpool Teaching Hospitals compare with England for cardiology?
Across England the median cardiology wait was 11.9 weeks and 67.9% had waited under 18 weeks at the end of August 2026. Of 118 NHS trusts with at least 20 pathways waiting, 105 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, “Cardiology waiting times at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/specialty-waits/blackpool-teaching-hospitals-nhs-foundation-trust/cardiology (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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