Referral to treatment (RTT) data for August 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Page updated 2 November 2026
Neurosurgery waiting times at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust
NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) figures for consultant-led neurosurgery care at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, in the NHS England North West region. Patients waiting at the end of August 2026. Neurosurgery covers surgery on the brain, spine and nerves, for example some spinal operations and the removal of brain tumours.
Short answer: At the end of August 2026, 4,225 pathways were waiting for consultant-led neurosurgery care at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust. Half had waited 17.3 weeks or less so far (England 13.4 weeks), 51.7% had waited under 18 weeks (England 62.0%; standard 92%) and 139 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.
Neurosurgery at Northern Care Alliance: summary
The median neurosurgery wait so far at Northern Care Alliance was 17.3 weeks for patients waiting at the end of August 2026, 3.9 weeks (29%) longer than the England median of 13.4 weeks. The share waiting under 18 weeks, 51.7%, was 7.1 percentage points below the figure for the North West region (58.8%). It was among the quarter of NHS trusts with the longest median neurosurgery waits: 5th longest of 26. Although the list shrank by 256 pathways (6%) between the end of February 2026 and August 2026, the median wait so far rose from 14.4 weeks to 17.3 weeks. Over the same months the England median went from 14.1 weeks to 13.4 weeks. 139 pathways (3.3% of the list) had waited over 52 weeks, about 2.2 times the England share of 1.5%. 4 of the 5 other NHS trusts within 60 miles had a shorter median; the nearest were Lancashire Teaching Hospitals (about 26 miles away, median 13.3 weeks) and University Hospitals of North Midlands (about 34 miles away, median 14.2 weeks).
How does Northern Care Alliance compare for neurosurgery?
| Measure | Northern Care Alliance | North West region | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pathways waiting | 4,225 | 11,711 | 54,748 |
| Waited under 18 weeks | 51.7% | 58.8% | 62.0% |
| Median weeks waited | 17.3 | not calculated | 13.4 |
| 92nd percentile weeks waited | 45 | not calculated | 40 |
| Waited over 52 weeks | 139 (3.3%) | 200 (1.7%) | 806 (1.5%) |
Region figures are a Waiting Times UK calculation: we add up NHS England’s figures for the 9 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 26 NHS trusts in England with at least 20 neurosurgery pathways waiting, 21 had a shorter median wait than Northern Care Alliance and 4 a longer one. See all specialties on the operation and treatment waits page.
Has the neurosurgery wait at Northern Care Alliance changed?
At the end of February 2026, 4,481 pathways were waiting and the median wait so far was 14.4 weeks. At the end of August 2026, 4,225 pathways were waiting and the median was 17.3 weeks. Past changes do not predict future waits.
Northern Care Alliance: median neurosurgery wait (weeks) England neurosurgery
| Month end | Waiting | Median weeks | Under 18 weeks | Over 52 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2026 | 4,481 | 14.4 | 58.9% | 134 |
| March 2026 | 4,256 | 15.7 | 56.6% | 158 |
| April 2026 | 4,552 | 15.9 | 54.0% | 171 |
| May 2026 | 4,645 | 17.3 | 51.9% | 191 |
| June 2026 | 4,432 | 17.6 | 51.1% | 172 |
| July 2026 | 4,104 | 17.4 | 51.7% | 138 |
| August 2026 | 4,225 | 17.3 | 51.7% | 139 |
Which nearby trusts treat neurosurgery?
| Nearby trust | Distance | Median weeks | Under 18 weeks | Waiting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | about 20 miles | 28.5 | 25.6% | 39 |
| Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | about 26 miles | 13.3 | 62.4% | 3,626 |
| University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust | about 34 miles | 14.2 | 58.6% | 611 |
| Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | about 40 miles | 11.1 | 65.7% | 566 |
| University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust | about 52 miles | 14.4 | 56.8% | 192 |
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 neurosurgery pathways waiting are listed.
Find neurosurgery 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 Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust
- Operation and treatment waits by specialty in England
- Search by postcode
- All specialty pages by trust
Other specialties at Northern Care Alliance
- Cardiology
- Dermatology
- Ear, nose and throat (ENT)
- Elderly medicine
- Gastroenterology
- General internal medicine
- General surgery
- Gynaecology
- Neurology
- Ophthalmology
- Oral surgery
- Plastic surgery
- Respiratory medicine
- Rheumatology
- Trauma and orthopaedics
- Urology
Frequently asked questions
How long is the wait for neurosurgery at Northern Care Alliance?
At the end of August 2026, half of the 4,225 pathways waiting for neurosurgery at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust had waited 17.3 weeks or less, and 51.7% 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 Northern Care Alliance compare with England for neurosurgery?
Across England the median neurosurgery wait was 13.4 weeks and 62.0% had waited under 18 weeks at the end of August 2026. Of 26 NHS trusts with at least 20 pathways waiting, 21 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, “Neurosurgery waiting times at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/specialty-waits/northern-care-alliance-nhs-foundation-trust/neurosurgery (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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