Referral to treatment (RTT) data for August 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Page updated 2 November 2026
Gastroenterology waiting times at East Cheshire NHS Trust
NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) figures for consultant-led gastroenterology care at East Cheshire NHS Trust, in the NHS England North West region. Patients waiting at the end of August 2026. Gastroenterology covers the digestive system, for example inflammatory bowel disease, reflux and liver problems.
Short answer: At the end of August 2026, 1,499 pathways were waiting for consultant-led gastroenterology care at East Cheshire NHS Trust. Half had waited 16.8 weeks or less so far (England 11.0 weeks), 52.3% had waited under 18 weeks (England 69.7%; standard 92%) and 53 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.
Gastroenterology at East Cheshire: summary
The median gastroenterology wait so far at East Cheshire was 16.8 weeks for patients waiting at the end of August 2026, 5.8 weeks (53%) longer than the England median of 11.0 weeks. The share waiting under 18 weeks, 52.3%, was 15.3 percentage points below the figure for the North West region (67.6%). It was among the quarter of NHS trusts with the longest median gastroenterology waits: 9th longest of 116. The figures improved between the end of February 2026 and August 2026: the median fell from 20.4 weeks to 16.8 weeks and the list shrank by 601 pathways (29%). Over the same months the England median went from 12.2 weeks to 11.0 weeks. 53 pathways (3.5% of the list) had waited over 52 weeks, about 3.5 times the England share of 1.0%. 32 of the 36 other NHS trusts within 60 miles had a shorter median; the nearest were Stockport (about 8 miles away, median 12.2 weeks) and Manchester University (about 14 miles away, median 10.4 weeks).
How does East Cheshire compare for gastroenterology?
| Measure | East Cheshire | North West region | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pathways waiting | 1,499 | 69,622 | 358,127 |
| Waited under 18 weeks | 52.3% | 67.6% | 69.7% |
| Median weeks waited | 16.8 | not calculated | 11.0 |
| 92nd percentile weeks waited | 46 | not calculated | 37 |
| Waited over 52 weeks | 53 (3.5%) | 876 (1.3%) | 3,640 (1.0%) |
Region figures are a Waiting Times UK calculation: we add up NHS England’s figures for the 33 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 116 NHS trusts in England with at least 20 gastroenterology pathways waiting, 107 had a shorter median wait than East Cheshire and 8 a longer one. See every trust on the gastroenterology waits page.
Has the gastroenterology wait at East Cheshire changed?
At the end of February 2026, 2,100 pathways were waiting and the median wait so far was 20.4 weeks. At the end of August 2026, 1,499 pathways were waiting and the median was 16.8 weeks. Past changes do not predict future waits.
East Cheshire: median gastroenterology wait (weeks) England gastroenterology
| Month end | Waiting | Median weeks | Under 18 weeks | Over 52 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2026 | 2,100 | 20.4 | 46.7% | 78 |
| March 2026 | 1,768 | 18.3 | 49.4% | 61 |
| April 2026 | 1,845 | 19.2 | 48.6% | 83 |
| May 2026 | 1,937 | 18.8 | 48.7% | 112 |
| June 2026 | 1,906 | 17.9 | 50.2% | 96 |
| July 2026 | 1,876 | 16.3 | 53.5% | 76 |
| August 2026 | 1,499 | 16.8 | 52.3% | 53 |
Which nearby trusts treat gastroenterology?
| Nearby trust | Distance | Median weeks | Under 18 weeks | Waiting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stockport NHS Foundation Trust | about 8 miles | 12.2 | 65.3% | 3,140 |
| Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust | about 14 miles | 10.4 | 74.7% | 7,839 |
| Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust | about 16 miles | 6.9 | 91.0% | 1,032 |
| Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | about 17 miles | 20.8 | 44.1% | 1,656 |
| Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust | about 17 miles | 15.2 | 56.6% | 14,113 |
| University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust | about 18 miles | 13.8 | 62.0% | 5,662 |
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 gastroenterology pathways waiting are listed.
Find gastroenterology 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 East Cheshire NHS Trust
- Gastroenterology waits at every trust in England
- Search by postcode
- All specialty pages by trust
Other specialties at East Cheshire
- Cardiology
- Ear, nose and throat (ENT)
- Elderly medicine
- General surgery
- Gynaecology
- Ophthalmology
- Plastic surgery
- Respiratory medicine
- Trauma and orthopaedics
- Urology
Frequently asked questions
How long is the wait for gastroenterology at East Cheshire?
At the end of August 2026, half of the 1,499 pathways waiting for gastroenterology at East Cheshire NHS Trust had waited 16.8 weeks or less, and 52.3% 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 East Cheshire compare with England for gastroenterology?
Across England the median gastroenterology wait was 11.0 weeks and 69.7% had waited under 18 weeks at the end of August 2026. Of 116 NHS trusts with at least 20 pathways waiting, 107 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, “Gastroenterology waiting times at East Cheshire NHS Trust”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/specialty-waits/east-cheshire-nhs-trust/gastroenterology (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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