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

Cardiology waiting times at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust

NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) figures for consultant-led cardiology care at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, in the NHS England Midlands region. Patients waiting at the end of August 2026. Cardiology covers the heart, for example chest pain clinics, abnormal heart rhythms and heart failure.

Short answer: At the end of August 2026, 4,980 pathways were waiting for consultant-led cardiology care at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust. Half had waited 18.1 weeks or less so far (England 11.9 weeks), 49.9% had waited under 18 weeks (England 67.9%; standard 92%) and 27 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.

18.1 wksmedian wait so far: half had waited less (England 11.9 weeks)
49.9%waiting under 18 weeks (England 67.9%; standard 92%)
4,980pathways waiting at the end of August 2026
27waiting over 52 weeks (0.5% 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.

Cardiology at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals: summary

The median cardiology wait so far at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals was 18.1 weeks for patients waiting at the end of August 2026, 6.2 weeks (52%) longer than the England median of 11.9 weeks. The share waiting under 18 weeks, 49.9%, was 21.0 percentage points below the figure for the Midlands region (70.9%). It was among the quarter of NHS trusts with the longest median cardiology waits: 5th longest of 118. The figures improved between the end of February 2026 and August 2026: the median fell from 19.0 weeks to 18.1 weeks and the list shrank by 694 pathways (12%). Over the same months the England median went from 12.3 weeks to 11.9 weeks. 27 pathways (0.5% of the list) had waited over 52 weeks, below the England share of 0.8%. 21 of the 21 other NHS trusts within 60 miles had a shorter median; the nearest were University Hospitals Birmingham (about 3 miles away, median 8.0 weeks) and Walsall Healthcare (about 7 miles away, median 7.7 weeks).

How does Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals compare for cardiology?

Cardiology waits, end of August 2026
MeasureSandwell and West Birmingham HospitalsMidlands regionEngland
Pathways waiting4,98053,034362,143
Waited under 18 weeks49.9%70.9%67.9%
Median weeks waited18.1not calculated11.9
92nd percentile weeks waited42not calculated36
Waited over 52 weeks27 (0.5%)255 (0.5%)2,790 (0.8%)

Region figures are a Waiting Times UK calculation: we add up NHS England’s figures for the 23 NHS and independent providers in the Midlands 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 118 NHS trusts in England with at least 20 cardiology pathways waiting, 113 had a shorter median wait than Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals and 4 a longer one. See every trust on the cardiology waits page.

Has the cardiology wait at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals changed?

At the end of February 2026, 5,674 pathways were waiting and the median wait so far was 19.0 weeks. At the end of August 2026, 4,980 pathways were waiting and the median was 18.1 weeks. Past changes do not predict future waits.

Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals: median cardiology wait (weeks)912151820Feb 26Mar 26Apr 26May 26Jun 26Jul 26Aug 26

Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals: median cardiology wait (weeks) England cardiology

Cardiology at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals, month by month
Month endWaitingMedian weeksUnder 18 weeksOver 52 weeks
February 20265,67419.048.1%227
March 20265,28316.554.5%139
April 20265,35816.751.9%84
May 20265,33818.548.9%64
June 20265,15318.449.1%18
July 20265,12018.649.0%23
August 20264,98018.149.9%27

Which nearby trusts treat cardiology?

Cardiology: nearby NHS trusts, end of August 2026
Nearby trustDistanceMedian weeksUnder 18 weeksWaiting
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trustabout 3 miles8.087.9%4,920
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trustabout 7 miles7.793.6%1,833
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trustabout 7 miles7.089.2%1,888
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trustabout 10 miles14.659.6%5,782
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trustabout 20 miles10.577.8%1,162
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trustabout 21 miles8.888.6%792

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 cardiology pathways waiting are listed.

Find cardiology 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 Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals

Frequently asked questions

How long is the wait for cardiology at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals?

At the end of August 2026, half of the 4,980 pathways waiting for cardiology at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust had waited 18.1 weeks or less, and 49.9% 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 Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals compare with England for cardiology?

Across England the median cardiology wait was 11.9 weeks and 67.9% had waited under 18 weeks at the end of August 2026. Of 118 NHS trusts with at least 20 pathways waiting, 113 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, “Cardiology waiting times at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/specialty-waits/sandwell-and-west-birmingham-hospitals-nhs-trust/cardiology (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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