Referral to treatment (RTT) data for August 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Page updated 2 November 2026
Cardiothoracic surgery waiting times at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) figures for consultant-led cardiothoracic surgery care at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, in the NHS England London region. Patients waiting at the end of August 2026. Cardiothoracic surgery covers operations on the heart, lungs and chest, for example heart bypass and heart valve surgery.
Short answer: At the end of August 2026, 661 pathways were waiting for consultant-led cardiothoracic surgery care at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Half had waited 10.8 weeks or less so far (England 9.6 weeks), 71.7% had waited under 18 weeks (England 73.6%; standard 92%) and 0 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.
Cardiothoracic surgery at Imperial College Healthcare: summary
At Imperial College Healthcare, patients on the cardiothoracic surgery list at the end of August 2026 had waited a median of 10.8 weeks, longer than the England figure of 9.6 weeks (by 1.2 weeks, or 13%). The share waiting under 18 weeks, 71.7%, was 5.4 percentage points below the figure for the London region (77.1%). Of 29 NHS trusts with at least 20 cardiothoracic surgery pathways waiting, 19 reported a shorter median and 8 a longer one, which puts Imperial College Healthcare in the middle half. The median was broadly flat between the end of February 2026 and August 2026 (10.8 weeks to 10.8 weeks), while the list grew by 160 pathways (32%). Over the same months the England median went from 11.1 weeks to 9.6 weeks. None of the 661 pathways had waited over 52 weeks (England 1.2%). 5 of the 6 other NHS trusts within 60 miles had a shorter median; the nearest were King's College Hospital (about 5 miles away, median 9.0 weeks) and St George's University Hospitals (about 6 miles away, median 4.9 weeks).
How does Imperial College Healthcare compare for cardiothoracic surgery?
| Measure | Imperial College Healthcare | London region | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pathways waiting | 661 | 1,123 | 8,798 |
| Waited under 18 weeks | 71.7% | 77.1% | 73.6% |
| Median weeks waited | 10.8 | not calculated | 9.6 |
| 92nd percentile weeks waited | 33 | not calculated | 34 |
| Waited over 52 weeks | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (0.1%) | 106 (1.2%) |
Region figures are a Waiting Times UK calculation: we add up NHS England’s figures for the 7 NHS and independent providers in the London 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 29 NHS trusts in England with at least 20 cardiothoracic surgery pathways waiting, 19 had a shorter median wait than Imperial College Healthcare and 8 a longer one. See all specialties on the operation and treatment waits page.
Has the cardiothoracic surgery wait at Imperial College Healthcare changed?
At the end of February 2026, 501 pathways were waiting and the median wait so far was 10.8 weeks. At the end of August 2026, 661 pathways were waiting and the median was 10.8 weeks. Past changes do not predict future waits.
Imperial College Healthcare: median cardiothoracic surgery wait (weeks) England cardiothoracic surgery
| Month end | Waiting | Median weeks | Under 18 weeks | Over 52 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2026 | 501 | 10.8 | 73.3% | 1 |
| March 2026 | 509 | 9.8 | 76.8% | 0 |
| April 2026 | 523 | 8.9 | 78.8% | 0 |
| May 2026 | 536 | 9.4 | 76.1% | 0 |
| June 2026 | 573 | 9.4 | 73.8% | 0 |
| July 2026 | 644 | 10.1 | 71.1% | 1 |
| August 2026 | 661 | 10.8 | 71.7% | 0 |
Which nearby trusts treat cardiothoracic surgery?
| Nearby trust | Distance | Median weeks | Under 18 weeks | Waiting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust | about 3 miles | 15.5 | 52.8% | 36 |
| King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | about 5 miles | 9.0 | 75.0% | 116 |
| St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | about 6 miles | 4.9 | 92.4% | 303 |
| East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust | about 28 miles | 8.1 | 91.0% | 156 |
| Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust | about 33 miles | 4.8 | 100.0% | 34 |
| University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust | about 49 miles | 9.3 | 71.4% | 112 |
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 cardiothoracic surgery pathways waiting are listed.
Find cardiothoracic 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 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
- Operation and treatment waits by specialty in England
- Search by postcode
- All specialty pages by trust
Other specialties at Imperial College Healthcare
- Cardiology
- Dermatology
- Ear, nose and throat (ENT)
- Elderly medicine
- Gastroenterology
- General internal medicine
- General surgery
- Gynaecology
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Ophthalmology
- Oral surgery
- Plastic surgery
- Respiratory medicine
- Rheumatology
- Trauma and orthopaedics
- Urology
Frequently asked questions
How long is the wait for cardiothoracic surgery at Imperial College Healthcare?
At the end of August 2026, half of the 661 pathways waiting for cardiothoracic surgery at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust had waited 10.8 weeks or less, and 71.7% 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 Imperial College Healthcare compare with England for cardiothoracic surgery?
Across England the median cardiothoracic surgery wait was 9.6 weeks and 73.6% had waited under 18 weeks at the end of August 2026. Of 29 NHS trusts with at least 20 pathways waiting, 19 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, “Cardiothoracic surgery waiting times at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/specialty-waits/imperial-college-healthcare-nhs-trust/cardiothoracic-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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