Referral to treatment (RTT) data for August 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Page updated 2 November 2026
General surgery waiting times at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) figures for consultant-led general surgery care at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, in the NHS England North East and Yorkshire region. Patients waiting at the end of August 2026. General surgery covers a wide range of operations, for example hernias, gallbladder removal and some bowel and breast surgery (the mix varies by hospital).
Short answer: At the end of August 2026, 6,593 pathways were waiting for consultant-led general surgery care at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust. Half had waited 13.5 weeks or less so far (England 12.8 weeks), 59.8% had waited under 18 weeks (England 63.2%; standard 92%) and 292 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.
General surgery at County Durham and Darlington: summary
At County Durham and Darlington, patients on the general surgery list at the end of August 2026 had waited a median of 13.5 weeks, slightly longer than the England figure of 12.8 weeks (by 0.7 weeks, or 5%). The share waiting under 18 weeks, 59.8%, was 10.4 percentage points below the figure for the North East and Yorkshire region (70.2%). Of 113 NHS trusts with at least 20 general surgery pathways waiting, 57 reported a shorter median and 54 a longer one, which puts County Durham and Darlington in the middle half. The median fell from 14.3 weeks at the end of February 2026 to 13.5 weeks at the end of August 2026, even though the list grew by 1,888 pathways (40%). Over the same months the England median went from 13.9 weeks to 12.8 weeks. 292 pathways (4.4% of the list) had waited over 52 weeks, about 2.1 times the England share of 2.1%. 9 of the 12 other NHS trusts within 60 miles had a shorter median; the nearest were South Tees Hospitals (about 14 miles away, median 12.5 weeks) and South Tyneside and Sunderland (about 26 miles away, median 7.2 weeks).
How does County Durham and Darlington compare for general surgery?
| Measure | County Durham and Darlington | North East and Yorkshire region | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pathways waiting | 6,593 | 66,766 | 384,914 |
| Waited under 18 weeks | 59.8% | 70.2% | 63.2% |
| Median weeks waited | 13.5 | not calculated | 12.8 |
| 92nd percentile weeks waited | 47 | not calculated | 42 |
| Waited over 52 weeks | 292 (4.4%) | 893 (1.3%) | 8,213 (2.1%) |
Region figures are a Waiting Times UK calculation: we add up NHS England’s figures for the 39 NHS and independent providers in the North East and Yorkshire 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 general surgery pathways waiting, 57 had a shorter median wait than County Durham and Darlington and 54 a longer one. See every trust on the general surgery waits page.
Has the general surgery wait at County Durham and Darlington changed?
At the end of February 2026, 4,705 pathways were waiting and the median wait so far was 14.3 weeks. At the end of August 2026, 6,593 pathways were waiting and the median was 13.5 weeks. Past changes do not predict future waits.
County Durham and Darlington: median general surgery wait (weeks) England general surgery
| Month end | Waiting | Median weeks | Under 18 weeks | Over 52 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2026 | 4,705 | 14.3 | 56.6% | 164 |
| March 2026 | 4,829 | 12.9 | 59.6% | 126 |
| April 2026 | 6,173 | 12.8 | 59.9% | 158 |
| May 2026 | 6,100 | 13.9 | 59.1% | 159 |
| June 2026 | 6,314 | 13.1 | 59.9% | 209 |
| July 2026 | 6,487 | 12.3 | 61.1% | 258 |
| August 2026 | 6,593 | 13.5 | 59.8% | 292 |
Which nearby trusts treat general surgery?
| Nearby trust | Distance | Median weeks | Under 18 weeks | Waiting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | about 14 miles | 12.5 | 65.3% | 1,925 |
| North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust | about 18 miles | 14.5 | 59.6% | 2,592 |
| South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust | about 26 miles | 7.2 | 84.1% | 4,766 |
| Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust | about 28 miles | 5.5 | 91.2% | 2,439 |
| The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | about 33 miles | 10.9 | 73.6% | 848 |
| Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | about 34 miles | 8.9 | 91.4% | 6,637 |
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 general surgery pathways waiting are listed.
Find general 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 County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
- General surgery waits at every trust in England
- Search by postcode
- All specialty pages by trust
Other specialties at County Durham and Darlington
- Cardiology
- Cardiothoracic surgery
- Dermatology
- Ear, nose and throat (ENT)
- Elderly medicine
- Gastroenterology
- General internal medicine
- Gynaecology
- Ophthalmology
- Oral surgery
- Plastic surgery
- Respiratory medicine
- Rheumatology
- Trauma and orthopaedics
Frequently asked questions
How long is the wait for general surgery at County Durham and Darlington?
At the end of August 2026, half of the 6,593 pathways waiting for general surgery at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust had waited 13.5 weeks or less, and 59.8% 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 County Durham and Darlington compare with England for general surgery?
Across England the median general surgery wait was 12.8 weeks and 63.2% had waited under 18 weeks at the end of August 2026. Of 113 NHS trusts with at least 20 pathways waiting, 57 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, “General surgery waiting times at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/specialty-waits/county-durham-and-darlington-nhs-foundation-trust/general-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: 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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