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

General surgery waiting times at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) figures for consultant-led general surgery care at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, in the NHS England South West region. Patients waiting at the end of August 2026. General surgery covers a wide range of operations, for example hernias, gallbladder removal and some bowel and breast surgery (the mix varies by hospital).

Short answer: At the end of August 2026, 828 pathways were waiting for consultant-led general surgery care at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. Half had waited 13.5 weeks or less so far (England 12.8 weeks), 62.9% had waited under 18 weeks (England 63.2%; standard 92%) and 17 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.

13.5 wksmedian wait so far: half had waited less (England 12.8 weeks)
62.9%waiting under 18 weeks (England 63.2%; standard 92%)
828pathways waiting at the end of August 2026
17waiting over 52 weeks (2.1% 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.

General surgery at Royal Devon University Healthcare: summary

At Royal Devon University Healthcare, patients on the general surgery list at the end of August 2026 had waited a median of 13.5 weeks, slightly longer than the England figure of 12.8 weeks (by 0.7 weeks, or 5%). Its share waiting under 18 weeks, 62.9%, was in line with the South West region as a whole (64.0%). Of 113 NHS trusts with at least 20 general surgery pathways waiting, 57 reported a shorter median and 54 a longer one, which puts Royal Devon University Healthcare in the middle half. The figures improved between the end of February 2026 and August 2026: the median fell from 14.9 weeks to 13.5 weeks and the list shrank by 215 pathways (21%). Over the same months the England median went from 13.9 weeks to 12.8 weeks. 17 pathways (2.1% of the list) had waited over 52 weeks, similar to the England share of 2.1%. Of the 2 other NHS trusts within 60 miles, only Somerset (about 26 miles away, median 12.2 weeks) had a shorter median.

How does Royal Devon University Healthcare compare for general surgery?

General surgery waits, end of August 2026
MeasureRoyal Devon University HealthcareSouth West regionEngland
Pathways waiting82821,004384,914
Waited under 18 weeks62.9%64.0%63.2%
Median weeks waited13.5not calculated12.8
92nd percentile weeks waited43not calculated42
Waited over 52 weeks17 (2.1%)329 (1.6%)8,213 (2.1%)

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 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 113 NHS trusts in England with at least 20 general surgery pathways waiting, 57 had a shorter median wait than Royal Devon University Healthcare and 54 a longer one. See every trust on the general surgery waits page.

Has the general surgery wait at Royal Devon University Healthcare changed?

At the end of February 2026, 1,043 pathways were waiting and the median wait so far was 14.9 weeks. At the end of August 2026, 828 pathways were waiting and the median was 13.5 weeks. Past changes do not predict future waits.

Royal Devon University Healthcare: median general surgery wait (weeks)1113141618Feb 26Mar 26Apr 26May 26Jun 26Jul 26Aug 26

Royal Devon University Healthcare: median general surgery wait (weeks) England general surgery

General surgery at Royal Devon University Healthcare, month by month
Month endWaitingMedian weeksUnder 18 weeksOver 52 weeks
February 20261,04314.958.8%29
March 202698516.554.9%27
April 20261,00115.953.2%35
May 202697116.253.5%27
June 202680714.160.8%29
July 202683314.459.1%29
August 202682813.562.9%17

Which nearby trusts treat general surgery?

General surgery: nearby NHS trusts, end of August 2026
Nearby trustDistanceMedian weeksUnder 18 weeksWaiting
Somerset NHS Foundation Trustabout 26 miles12.262.7%2,627
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trustabout 46 miles19.546.4%1,408

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 general surgery pathways waiting are listed.

Find general 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

Other specialties at Royal Devon University Healthcare

Frequently asked questions

How long is the wait for general surgery at Royal Devon University Healthcare?

At the end of August 2026, half of the 828 pathways waiting for general surgery at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust had waited 13.5 weeks or less, and 62.9% 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 Devon University Healthcare compare with England for general surgery?

Across England the median general surgery wait was 12.8 weeks and 63.2% had waited under 18 weeks at the end of August 2026. Of 113 NHS trusts with at least 20 pathways waiting, 57 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, “General surgery waiting times at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/specialty-waits/royal-devon-university-healthcare-nhs-foundation-trust/general-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.

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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