Referral to treatment (RTT) data for August 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Page updated 2 November 2026
Plastic surgery waiting times at Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) figures for consultant-led plastic surgery care at Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, in the NHS England South West region. Patients waiting at the end of August 2026. Plastic surgery covers reconstructive surgery of the skin and soft tissues, for example removing skin cancers, hand surgery and repair after injury.
Short answer: At the end of August 2026, 2,881 pathways were waiting for consultant-led plastic surgery care at Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. Half had waited 9.5 weeks or less so far (England 14.0 weeks), 68.6% had waited under 18 weeks (England 59.4%; standard 92%) and 26 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.
Plastic surgery at Bristol: summary
Patients waiting for plastic surgery at Bristol at the end of August 2026 had waited a median of 9.5 weeks, well below the England median of 14.0 weeks: 4.5 weeks (32%) shorter. The share waiting under 18 weeks, 68.6%, was 4.1 percentage points below the figure for the South West region (72.7%). Of 74 NHS trusts with at least 20 plastic surgery pathways waiting, 23 reported a shorter median and 50 a longer one, which puts Bristol in the middle half. Month-by-month figures are not available for enough earlier months to show a trend here. 26 pathways (0.9% of the list) had waited over 52 weeks, less than half the England share of 3.3%. 2 of the 4 other NHS trusts within 60 miles had a shorter median; the nearest were Great Western Hospitals (about 38 miles away, median 7.5 weeks) and Somerset (about 38 miles away, median 8.4 weeks).
How does Bristol compare for plastic surgery?
| Measure | Bristol | South West region | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pathways waiting | 2,881 | 6,871 | 109,605 |
| Waited under 18 weeks | 68.6% | 72.7% | 59.4% |
| Median weeks waited | 9.5 | not calculated | 14.0 |
| 92nd percentile weeks waited | 38 | not calculated | 45 |
| Waited over 52 weeks | 26 (0.9%) | 59 (0.9%) | 3,575 (3.3%) |
Region figures are a Waiting Times UK calculation: we add up NHS England’s figures for the 11 NHS and independent providers in the South 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 74 NHS trusts in England with at least 20 plastic surgery pathways waiting, 23 had a shorter median wait than Bristol and 50 a longer one. See all specialties on the operation and treatment waits page.
Which nearby trusts treat plastic surgery?
| Nearby trust | Distance | Median weeks | Under 18 weeks | Waiting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | about 38 miles | 7.5 | 80.3% | 132 |
| Somerset NHS Foundation Trust | about 38 miles | 8.4 | 87.7% | 219 |
| Wye Valley NHS Trust | about 42 miles | 11.0 | 67.5% | 357 |
| Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust | about 45 miles | 10.3 | 73.9% | 2,014 |
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 plastic surgery pathways waiting are listed.
Find plastic surgery 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 Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
- Operation and treatment waits by specialty in England
- Search by postcode
- All specialty pages by trust
Other specialties at Bristol
- Cardiology
- Cardiothoracic surgery
- Dermatology
- Ear, nose and throat (ENT)
- Elderly medicine
- Gastroenterology
- General surgery
- Gynaecology
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Ophthalmology
- Oral surgery
- Respiratory medicine
- Rheumatology
- Trauma and orthopaedics
- Urology
Frequently asked questions
How long is the wait for plastic surgery at Bristol?
At the end of August 2026, half of the 2,881 pathways waiting for plastic surgery at Bristol NHS Foundation Trust had waited 9.5 weeks or less, and 68.6% 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 Bristol compare with England for plastic surgery?
Across England the median plastic surgery wait was 14.0 weeks and 59.4% had waited under 18 weeks at the end of August 2026. Of 74 NHS trusts with at least 20 pathways waiting, 23 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, “Plastic surgery waiting times at Bristol NHS Foundation Trust”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/specialty-waits/bristol-nhs-foundation-trust/plastic-surgery (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: 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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