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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 Bristol NHS Foundation Trust

NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) figures for consultant-led trauma and orthopaedics care at Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, in the NHS England South 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, 8,550 pathways were waiting for consultant-led trauma and orthopaedics care at Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. Half had waited 13.8 weeks or less so far (England 13.9 weeks), 62.4% had waited under 18 weeks (England 60.9%; standard 92%) and 76 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.

13.8 wksmedian wait so far: half had waited less (England 13.9 weeks)
62.4%waiting under 18 weeks (England 60.9%; standard 92%)
8,550pathways waiting at the end of August 2026
76waiting over 52 weeks (0.9% 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 Bristol: summary

For patients waiting at the end of August 2026, the median wait so far for trauma and orthopaedics at Bristol was 13.8 weeks, close to the England median of 13.9 weeks. 62.4% had waited under 18 weeks, 3.4 percentage points more than across the South West region (59.0%). Of 124 NHS trusts with at least 20 trauma and orthopaedics pathways waiting, 52 reported a shorter median and 71 a longer one, which puts Bristol in the middle half. Waits lengthened between the end of February 2026 and August 2026: the median rose from 10.9 weeks to 13.8 weeks and the list grew by 6,811 pathways (392%). Over the same months the England median went from 15.0 weeks to 13.9 weeks. 76 pathways (0.9% of the list) had waited over 52 weeks, less than half the England share of 2.6%. 3 of the 9 other NHS trusts within 60 miles had a shorter median; the nearest were Royal United Hospitals Bath (about 10 miles away, median 11.8 weeks) and Somerset (about 38 miles away, median 12.7 weeks).

How does Bristol compare for trauma and orthopaedics?

Trauma and orthopaedics waits, end of August 2026
MeasureBristolSouth West regionEngland
Pathways waiting8,55092,454851,183
Waited under 18 weeks62.4%59.0%60.9%
Median weeks waited13.8not calculated13.9
92nd percentile weeks waited38not calculated43
Waited over 52 weeks76 (0.9%)2,271 (2.5%)22,043 (2.6%)

Region figures are a Waiting Times UK calculation: we add up NHS England’s figures for the 38 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 124 NHS trusts in England with at least 20 trauma and orthopaedics pathways waiting, 52 had a shorter median wait than Bristol and 71 a longer one. See every trust on the trauma and orthopaedics waits page.

Has the trauma and orthopaedics wait at Bristol changed?

At the end of February 2026, 1,739 pathways were waiting and the median wait so far was 10.9 weeks. At the end of August 2026, 8,550 pathways were waiting and the median was 13.8 weeks. Past changes do not predict future waits.

Bristol: median trauma and orthopaedics wait (weeks)1011131416Feb 26Mar 26Apr 26May 26Jun 26Jul 26Aug 26

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

Trauma and orthopaedics at Bristol, month by month
Month endWaitingMedian weeksUnder 18 weeksOver 52 weeks
February 20261,73910.975.5%0
March 20261,61711.171.0%0
April 20261,58212.468.3%1
May 20261,68813.266.1%1
June 20261,69612.667.5%2
July 20268,13413.063.7%55
August 20268,55013.862.4%76

Which nearby trusts treat trauma and orthopaedics?

Trauma and orthopaedics: nearby NHS trusts, end of August 2026
Nearby trustDistanceMedian weeksUnder 18 weeksWaiting
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trustabout 10 miles11.868.8%2,696
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trustabout 37 miles17.152.0%9,401
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trustabout 38 miles18.349.4%5,943
Somerset NHS Foundation Trustabout 38 miles12.762.8%9,296
Wye Valley NHS Trustabout 42 miles19.047.7%3,777
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trustabout 45 miles12.366.0%2,930

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 Bristol

Frequently asked questions

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

At the end of August 2026, half of the 8,550 pathways waiting for trauma and orthopaedics at Bristol NHS Foundation Trust had waited 13.8 weeks or less, and 62.4% 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 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, 52 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 Bristol NHS Foundation Trust”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/specialty-waits/bristol-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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