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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 Bolton NHS Foundation Trust

NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) figures for consultant-led trauma and orthopaedics care at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, in the NHS England North West 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, 2,319 pathways were waiting for consultant-led trauma and orthopaedics care at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust. Half had waited 15.7 weeks or less so far (England 13.9 weeks), 55.2% had waited under 18 weeks (England 60.9%; standard 92%) and 54 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.

15.7 wksmedian wait so far: half had waited less (England 13.9 weeks)
55.2%waiting under 18 weeks (England 60.9%; standard 92%)
2,319pathways waiting at the end of August 2026
54waiting over 52 weeks (2.3% 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 Bolton: summary

At Bolton, patients on the trauma and orthopaedics list at the end of August 2026 had waited a median of 15.7 weeks, longer than the England figure of 13.9 weeks (by 1.8 weeks, or 13%). The share waiting under 18 weeks, 55.2%, was 7.9 percentage points below the figure for the North West region (63.1%). Of 124 NHS trusts with at least 20 trauma and orthopaedics pathways waiting, 77 reported a shorter median and 44 a longer one, which puts Bolton in the middle half. Although the list shrank by 1,787 pathways (44%) between the end of February 2026 and August 2026, the median wait so far rose from 13.6 weeks to 15.7 weeks. Over the same months the England median went from 15.0 weeks to 13.9 weeks. 54 pathways (2.3% of the list) had waited over 52 weeks, below the England share of 2.6%. 19 of the 29 other NHS trusts within 60 miles had a shorter median; the nearest were Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals (about 8 miles away, median 13.4 weeks) and Manchester University (about 10 miles away, median 14.4 weeks).

How does Bolton compare for trauma and orthopaedics?

Trauma and orthopaedics waits, end of August 2026
MeasureBoltonNorth West regionEngland
Pathways waiting2,319117,382851,183
Waited under 18 weeks55.2%63.1%60.9%
Median weeks waited15.7not calculated13.9
92nd percentile weeks waited44not calculated43
Waited over 52 weeks54 (2.3%)2,027 (1.7%)22,043 (2.6%)

Region figures are a Waiting Times UK calculation: we add up NHS England’s figures for the 37 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 124 NHS trusts in England with at least 20 trauma and orthopaedics pathways waiting, 77 had a shorter median wait than Bolton and 44 a longer one. See every trust on the trauma and orthopaedics waits page.

Has the trauma and orthopaedics wait at Bolton changed?

At the end of February 2026, 4,106 pathways were waiting and the median wait so far was 13.6 weeks. At the end of August 2026, 2,319 pathways were waiting and the median was 15.7 weeks. Past changes do not predict future waits.

Bolton: median trauma and orthopaedics wait (weeks)1213151718Feb 26Mar 26Apr 26May 26Jun 26Jul 26Aug 26

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

Trauma and orthopaedics at Bolton, month by month
Month endWaitingMedian weeksUnder 18 weeksOver 52 weeks
February 20264,10613.661.2%56
March 20264,02112.663.5%44
April 20262,25916.951.5%51
May 20262,22717.451.5%32
June 20262,27517.451.7%30
July 20262,42516.053.9%67
August 20262,31915.755.2%54

Which nearby trusts treat trauma and orthopaedics?

Trauma and orthopaedics: nearby NHS trusts, end of August 2026
Nearby trustDistanceMedian weeksUnder 18 weeksWaiting
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trustabout 6 miles15.754.3%14,823
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trustabout 8 miles13.462.5%9,408
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trustabout 10 miles14.459.0%12,085
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trustabout 13 miles7.478.1%6,583
North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trustabout 13 miles17.352.1%3,394
Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trustabout 15 miles11.567.0%3,369

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 Bolton

Frequently asked questions

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

At the end of August 2026, half of the 2,319 pathways waiting for trauma and orthopaedics at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust had waited 15.7 weeks or less, and 55.2% 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 Bolton 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, 77 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 Bolton NHS Foundation Trust”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/specialty-waits/bolton-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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