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Referral to treatment (RTT) data for August 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Page updated 2 November 2026

Ear, nose and throat (ENT) waiting times at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) figures for consultant-led ENT care at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, in the NHS England South East region. Patients waiting at the end of August 2026. Ear, nose and throat (ENT) covers the ear, nose, throat, head and neck, for example hearing problems, sinus problems and tonsils.

Short answer: At the end of August 2026, 7,261 pathways were waiting for consultant-led ENT care at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Half had waited 18.7 weeks or less so far (England 15.4 weeks), 48.8% had waited under 18 weeks (England 56.8%; standard 92%) and 200 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.

18.7 wksmedian wait so far: half had waited less (England 15.4 weeks)
48.8%waiting under 18 weeks (England 56.8%; standard 92%)
7,261pathways waiting at the end of August 2026
200waiting over 52 weeks (2.8% 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.

Ear, nose and throat (ENT) at Oxford University Hospitals: summary

At Oxford University Hospitals, patients on the ENT list at the end of August 2026 had waited a median of 18.7 weeks, longer than the England figure of 15.4 weeks (by 3.3 weeks, or 21%). The share waiting under 18 weeks, 48.8%, was 7.0 percentage points below the figure for the South East region (55.8%). It was among the quarter of NHS trusts with the longest median ENT waits: joint 13th longest of 112. Waits lengthened between the end of February 2026 and August 2026: the median rose from 15.8 weeks to 18.7 weeks and the list grew by 882 pathways (14%). Over the same months the England median went from 15.8 weeks to 15.4 weeks. 200 pathways (2.8% of the list) had waited over 52 weeks, above the England share of 2.0%. 34 of the 41 other NHS trusts within 60 miles had a shorter median; the nearest were Royal Berkshire (about 24 miles away, median 12.2 weeks) and Buckinghamshire Healthcare (about 27 miles away, median 13.9 weeks).

How does Oxford University Hospitals compare for ENT?

Ear, nose and throat (ENT) waits, end of August 2026
MeasureOxford University HospitalsSouth East regionEngland
Pathways waiting7,26184,020590,233
Waited under 18 weeks48.8%55.8%56.8%
Median weeks waited18.7not calculated15.4
92nd percentile weeks waited46not calculated42
Waited over 52 weeks200 (2.8%)1,524 (1.8%)12,031 (2.0%)

Region figures are a Waiting Times UK calculation: we add up NHS England’s figures for the 30 NHS and independent providers in the South East 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 112 NHS trusts in England with at least 20 ENT pathways waiting, 98 had a shorter median wait than Oxford University Hospitals and 12 a longer one. See every trust on the ENT waits page.

Has the ENT wait at Oxford University Hospitals changed?

At the end of February 2026, 6,379 pathways were waiting and the median wait so far was 15.8 weeks. At the end of August 2026, 7,261 pathways were waiting and the median was 18.7 weeks. Past changes do not predict future waits.

Oxford University Hospitals: median ENT wait (weeks)1315161820Feb 26Mar 26Apr 26May 26Jun 26Jul 26Aug 26

Oxford University Hospitals: median ENT wait (weeks) England ENT

Ear, nose and throat (ENT) at Oxford University Hospitals, month by month
Month endWaitingMedian weeksUnder 18 weeksOver 52 weeks
February 20266,37915.855.7%195
March 20266,38714.858.1%172
April 20266,77914.057.9%156
May 20267,05215.656.8%166
June 20267,11916.254.5%198
July 20267,30317.251.9%191
August 20267,26118.748.8%200

Which nearby trusts treat ENT?

Ear, nose and throat (ENT): nearby NHS trusts, end of August 2026
Nearby trustDistanceMedian weeksUnder 18 weeksWaiting
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trustabout 24 miles12.271.7%2,871
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trustabout 27 miles13.962.3%4,588
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trustabout 27 miles15.158.5%3,474
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trustabout 27 miles20.344.7%4,779
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trustabout 33 miles17.153.3%8,574
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trustabout 34 miles12.765.4%3,246

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 ENT pathways waiting are listed.

Find ENT 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 Oxford University Hospitals

Frequently asked questions

How long is the wait for ENT at Oxford University Hospitals?

At the end of August 2026, half of the 7,261 pathways waiting for ENT at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust had waited 18.7 weeks or less, and 48.8% 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 Oxford University Hospitals compare with England for ENT?

Across England the median ENT wait was 15.4 weeks and 56.8% had waited under 18 weeks at the end of August 2026. Of 112 NHS trusts with at least 20 pathways waiting, 98 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, “Ear, nose and throat (ENT) waiting times at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/specialty-waits/oxford-university-hospitals-nhs-foundation-trust/ent (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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