Referral to treatment (RTT) data for August 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Page updated 2 November 2026
Trauma and orthopaedics waiting times at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) figures for consultant-led trauma and orthopaedics care at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, in the NHS England South West region. Patients waiting at the end of August 2026. Trauma and orthopaedics covers bones, joints, ligaments and muscles, for example hip and knee problems, back and spine problems, and hand and foot surgery.
Short answer: At the end of August 2026, 10,106 pathways were waiting for consultant-led trauma and orthopaedics care at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. Half had waited 18.3 weeks or less so far (England 13.9 weeks), 49.2% had waited under 18 weeks (England 60.9%; standard 92%) and 605 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.
Trauma and orthopaedics at Royal Devon University Healthcare: summary
The median trauma and orthopaedics wait so far at Royal Devon University Healthcare was 18.3 weeks for patients waiting at the end of August 2026, 4.4 weeks (32%) longer than the England median of 13.9 weeks. The share waiting under 18 weeks, 49.2%, was 9.8 percentage points below the figure for the South West region (59.0%). It was among the quarter of NHS trusts with the longest median trauma and orthopaedics waits: joint 15th longest of 124. The median fell from 18.9 weeks to 18.3 weeks between the end of February 2026 and August 2026, with the list roughly level (10,237 to 10,106). Over the same months the England median went from 15.0 weeks to 13.9 weeks. 605 pathways (6.0% of the list) had waited over 52 weeks, about 2.3 times the England share of 2.6%. Of the 2 other NHS trusts within 60 miles, only Somerset (about 26 miles away, median 12.7 weeks) had a shorter median.
How does Royal Devon University Healthcare compare for trauma and orthopaedics?
| Measure | Royal Devon University Healthcare | South West region | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pathways waiting | 10,106 | 92,454 | 851,183 |
| Waited under 18 weeks | 49.2% | 59.0% | 60.9% |
| Median weeks waited | 18.3 | not calculated | 13.9 |
| 92nd percentile weeks waited | 50 | not calculated | 43 |
| Waited over 52 weeks | 605 (6.0%) | 2,271 (2.5%) | 22,043 (2.6%) |
Region figures are a Waiting Times UK calculation: we add up NHS England’s figures for the 38 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 124 NHS trusts in England with at least 20 trauma and orthopaedics pathways waiting, 108 had a shorter median wait than Royal Devon University Healthcare and 14 a longer one. See every trust on the trauma and orthopaedics waits page.
Has the trauma and orthopaedics wait at Royal Devon University Healthcare changed?
At the end of February 2026, 10,237 pathways were waiting and the median wait so far was 18.9 weeks. At the end of August 2026, 10,106 pathways were waiting and the median was 18.3 weeks. Past changes do not predict future waits.
Royal Devon University Healthcare: median trauma and orthopaedics wait (weeks) England trauma and orthopaedics
| Month end | Waiting | Median weeks | Under 18 weeks | Over 52 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2026 | 10,237 | 18.9 | 48.0% | 538 |
| March 2026 | 10,098 | 19.0 | 47.6% | 451 |
| April 2026 | 10,284 | 19.4 | 47.2% | 480 |
| May 2026 | 10,390 | 18.5 | 48.9% | 529 |
| June 2026 | 10,308 | 18.6 | 48.9% | 551 |
| July 2026 | 10,222 | 18.4 | 49.2% | 594 |
| August 2026 | 10,106 | 18.3 | 49.2% | 605 |
Which nearby trusts treat trauma and orthopaedics?
| Nearby trust | Distance | Median weeks | Under 18 weeks | Waiting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somerset NHS Foundation Trust | about 26 miles | 12.7 | 62.8% | 9,296 |
| Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | about 46 miles | 19.4 | 46.1% | 3,432 |
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 trauma and orthopaedics pathways waiting are listed.
Find trauma and orthopaedics 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 Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Trauma and orthopaedics waits at every trust in England
- Search by postcode
- All specialty pages by trust
Other specialties at Royal Devon University Healthcare
- 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
- Urology
Frequently asked questions
How long is the wait for trauma and orthopaedics at Royal Devon University Healthcare?
At the end of August 2026, half of the 10,106 pathways waiting for trauma and orthopaedics at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust had waited 18.3 weeks or less, and 49.2% 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 Devon University Healthcare compare with England for trauma and orthopaedics?
Across England the median trauma and orthopaedics wait was 13.9 weeks and 60.9% had waited under 18 weeks at the end of August 2026. Of 124 NHS trusts with at least 20 pathways waiting, 108 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, “Trauma and orthopaedics 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/trauma-and-orthopaedics (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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