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

Neurosurgery waiting times at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) figures for consultant-led neurosurgery care at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, in the NHS England North East and Yorkshire region. Patients waiting at the end of August 2026. Neurosurgery covers surgery on the brain, spine and nerves, for example some spinal operations and the removal of brain tumours.

Short answer: At the end of August 2026, 1,470 pathways were waiting for consultant-led neurosurgery care at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Half had waited 11.4 weeks or less so far (England 13.4 weeks), 69.2% had waited under 18 weeks (England 62.0%; standard 92%) and 25 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.

11.4 wksmedian wait so far: half had waited less (England 13.4 weeks)

69.2%waiting under 18 weeks (England 62.0%; standard 92%)

1,470pathways waiting at the end of August 2026

25waiting over 52 weeks (1.7% 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.

Neurosurgery at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals: summary

At the end of August 2026 the median neurosurgery wait so far at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals was 11.4 weeks, shorter than England’s 13.4 weeks (a difference of 2.0 weeks, or 15%). Its share waiting under 18 weeks, 69.2%, was in line with the North East and Yorkshire region as a whole (68.3%). It ranked 6th shortest of 26 NHS trusts for this measure, in the quarter of trusts with the shortest median neurosurgery waits. The median fell from 11.9 weeks at the end of February 2026 to 11.4 weeks at the end of August 2026, even though the list grew by 196 pathways (15%). Over the same months the England median went from 14.1 weeks to 13.4 weeks. 25 pathways (1.7% of the list) had waited over 52 weeks, above the England share of 1.5%. The one other NHS trust within 60 miles, South Tees Hospitals (about 35 miles away, median 10.6 weeks), had a shorter median.

How does The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals compare for neurosurgery?

Neurosurgery waits, end of August 2026
Measure	The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals	North East and Yorkshire region	England
Pathways waiting	1,470	10,029	54,748
Waited under 18 weeks	69.2%	68.3%	62.0%
Median weeks waited	11.4	not calculated	13.4
92nd percentile weeks waited	39	not calculated	40
Waited over 52 weeks	25 (1.7%)	219 (2.2%)	806 (1.5%)

Region figures are a Waiting Times UK calculation: we add up NHS England’s figures for the 14 NHS and independent providers in the North East and Yorkshire 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 26 NHS trusts in England with at least 20 neurosurgery pathways waiting, 5 had a shorter median wait than The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals and 20 a longer one. See all specialties on the operation and treatment waits page.

Has the neurosurgery wait at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals changed?

At the end of February 2026, 1,274 pathways were waiting and the median wait so far was 11.9 weeks. At the end of August 2026, 1,470 pathways were waiting and the median was 11.4 weeks. Past changes do not predict future waits.

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals: median neurosurgery wait (weeks) England neurosurgery

Neurosurgery at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, month by month
Month end	Waiting	Median weeks	Under 18 weeks	Over 52 weeks
February 2026	1,274	11.9	70.6%	16
March 2026	1,276	11.8	69.6%	14
April 2026	1,276	13.0	65.2%	13
May 2026	1,248	13.3	65.3%	15
June 2026	1,355	10.9	71.4%	23
July 2026	1,390	10.6	71.6%	18
August 2026	1,470	11.4	69.2%	25

Which nearby trusts treat neurosurgery?

Neurosurgery: nearby NHS trusts, end of August 2026
Nearby trust	Distance	Median weeks	Under 18 weeks	Waiting
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	about 35 miles	10.6	76.1%	1,033

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 neurosurgery pathways waiting are listed.

Find neurosurgery 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 The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals

Frequently asked questions

How long is the wait for neurosurgery at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals?

At the end of August 2026, half of the 1,470 pathways waiting for neurosurgery at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust had waited 11.4 weeks or less, and 69.2% 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 The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals compare with England for neurosurgery?

Across England the median neurosurgery wait was 13.4 weeks and 62.0% had waited under 18 weeks at the end of August 2026. Of 26 NHS trusts with at least 20 pathways waiting, 5 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, “Neurosurgery waiting times at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/specialty-waits/the-newcastle-upon-tyne-hospitals-nhs-foundation-trust/neurosurgery (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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