Referral to treatment (RTT) data for August 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Page updated 2 November 2026
Dermatology waiting times at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) figures for consultant-led dermatology care at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, in the NHS England South West region. Patients waiting at the end of August 2026. Dermatology covers skin, hair and nails, for example eczema, psoriasis, acne and moles or skin lesions.
Short answer: At the end of August 2026, 4,396 pathways were waiting for consultant-led dermatology care at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust. Half had waited 6.8 weeks or less so far (England 10.5 weeks), 82.2% had waited under 18 weeks (England 69.0%; 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.
Dermatology at Royal Cornwall Hospitals: summary
Patients waiting for dermatology at Royal Cornwall Hospitals at the end of August 2026 had waited a median of 6.8 weeks, well below the England median of 10.5 weeks: 3.7 weeks (35%) shorter. 82.2% had waited under 18 weeks, 9.6 percentage points more than across the South West region (72.6%). It ranked 13th shortest of 99 NHS trusts for this measure, in the quarter of trusts with the shortest median dermatology waits. The median was broadly flat between the end of February 2026 and August 2026 (7.0 weeks to 6.8 weeks), while the list grew by 1,570 pathways (56%). Over the same months the England median went from 13.4 weeks to 10.5 weeks. None of the 4,396 pathways had waited over 52 weeks (England 1.2%). No other NHS trust with a dermatology page here has its registered address within 60 miles.
How does Royal Cornwall Hospitals compare for dermatology?
| Measure | Royal Cornwall Hospitals | South West region | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pathways waiting | 4,396 | 40,744 | 423,217 |
| Waited under 18 weeks | 82.2% | 72.6% | 69.0% |
| Median weeks waited | 6.8 | not calculated | 10.5 |
| 92nd percentile weeks waited | 25 | not calculated | 38 |
| Waited over 52 weeks | 0 (0.0%) | 229 (0.6%) | 5,256 (1.2%) |
Region figures are a Waiting Times UK calculation: we add up NHS England’s figures for the 13 NHS and independent providers in the South 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 99 NHS trusts in England with at least 20 dermatology pathways waiting, 12 had a shorter median wait than Royal Cornwall Hospitals and 86 a longer one. See every trust on the dermatology waits page.
Has the dermatology wait at Royal Cornwall Hospitals changed?
At the end of February 2026, 2,826 pathways were waiting and the median wait so far was 7.0 weeks. At the end of August 2026, 4,396 pathways were waiting and the median was 6.8 weeks. Past changes do not predict future waits.
Royal Cornwall Hospitals: median dermatology wait (weeks) England dermatology
| Month end | Waiting | Median weeks | Under 18 weeks | Over 52 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2026 | 2,826 | 7.0 | 84.5% | 0 |
| March 2026 | 2,966 | 6.0 | 87.8% | 1 |
| April 2026 | 2,999 | 6.0 | 85.9% | 0 |
| May 2026 | 3,298 | 5.8 | 86.1% | 1 |
| June 2026 | 3,574 | 5.5 | 86.0% | 0 |
| July 2026 | 4,214 | 5.8 | 85.5% | 0 |
| August 2026 | 4,396 | 6.8 | 82.2% | 0 |
Which nearby trusts treat dermatology?
No other NHS trust with a dermatology page has its registered address within 60 miles of Royal Cornwall Hospitals.
Find dermatology 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 Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
- Dermatology waits at every trust in England
- Search by postcode
- All specialty pages by trust
Other specialties at Royal Cornwall Hospitals
- Cardiology
- Ear, nose and throat (ENT)
- Elderly medicine
- Gastroenterology
- General surgery
- Gynaecology
- Neurology
- Ophthalmology
- Oral surgery
- Respiratory medicine
- Rheumatology
- Trauma and orthopaedics
- Urology
Frequently asked questions
How long is the wait for dermatology at Royal Cornwall Hospitals?
At the end of August 2026, half of the 4,396 pathways waiting for dermatology at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust had waited 6.8 weeks or less, and 82.2% 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 Royal Cornwall Hospitals compare with England for dermatology?
Across England the median dermatology wait was 10.5 weeks and 69.0% had waited under 18 weeks at the end of August 2026. Of 99 NHS trusts with at least 20 pathways waiting, 12 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, “Dermatology waiting times at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/specialty-waits/royal-cornwall-hospitals-nhs-trust/dermatology (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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