Referral to treatment (RTT) data for August 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Page updated 2 November 2026
Trauma and orthopaedics waiting times at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) figures for consultant-led trauma and orthopaedics care at University Hospitals Dorset 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, 8,476 pathways were waiting for consultant-led trauma and orthopaedics care at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust. Half had waited 16.7 weeks or less so far (England 13.9 weeks), 53.7% had waited under 18 weeks (England 60.9%; standard 92%) and 238 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 University Hospitals Dorset: summary
At University Hospitals Dorset, patients on the trauma and orthopaedics list at the end of August 2026 had waited a median of 16.7 weeks, longer than the England figure of 13.9 weeks (by 2.8 weeks, or 20%). The share waiting under 18 weeks, 53.7%, was 5.3 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 31st longest of 124. The median fell from 18.8 weeks at the end of February 2026 to 16.7 weeks at the end of August 2026, even though the list grew by 484 pathways (6%). Over the same months the England median went from 15.0 weeks to 13.9 weeks. 238 pathways (2.8% of the list) had waited over 52 weeks, similar to the England share of 2.6%. 5 of the 10 other NHS trusts within 60 miles had a shorter median; the nearest were Salisbury (about 24 miles away, median 12.3 weeks) and Royal United Hospitals Bath (about 50 miles away, median 11.8 weeks).
How does University Hospitals Dorset compare for trauma and orthopaedics?
| Measure | University Hospitals Dorset | South West region | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pathways waiting | 8,476 | 92,454 | 851,183 |
| Waited under 18 weeks | 53.7% | 59.0% | 60.9% |
| Median weeks waited | 16.7 | not calculated | 13.9 |
| 92nd percentile weeks waited | 45 | not calculated | 43 |
| Waited over 52 weeks | 238 (2.8%) | 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, 92 had a shorter median wait than University Hospitals Dorset and 30 a longer one. See every trust on the trauma and orthopaedics waits page.
Has the trauma and orthopaedics wait at University Hospitals Dorset changed?
At the end of February 2026, 7,992 pathways were waiting and the median wait so far was 18.8 weeks. At the end of August 2026, 8,476 pathways were waiting and the median was 16.7 weeks. Past changes do not predict future waits.
University Hospitals Dorset: median trauma and orthopaedics wait (weeks) England trauma and orthopaedics
| Month end | Waiting | Median weeks | Under 18 weeks | Over 52 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2026 | 7,992 | 18.8 | 48.2% | 364 |
| March 2026 | 7,972 | 18.7 | 49.1% | 318 |
| April 2026 | 8,123 | 18.4 | 49.6% | 307 |
| May 2026 | 8,063 | 17.3 | 51.9% | 263 |
| June 2026 | 8,048 | 16.5 | 54.6% | 209 |
| July 2026 | 8,287 | 15.8 | 55.6% | 225 |
| August 2026 | 8,476 | 16.7 | 53.7% | 238 |
Which nearby trusts treat trauma and orthopaedics?
| Nearby trust | Distance | Median weeks | Under 18 weeks | Waiting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | about 21 miles | 19.4 | 46.1% | 3,432 |
| Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust | about 24 miles | 12.3 | 66.0% | 2,930 |
| University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust | about 28 miles | 17.8 | 50.6% | 4,081 |
| Isle of Wight NHS Trust | about 29 miles | 16.9 | 52.2% | 2,269 |
| Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust | about 40 miles | 18.4 | 49.1% | 5,011 |
| Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust | about 50 miles | 11.8 | 68.8% | 2,696 |
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 University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
- Trauma and orthopaedics waits at every trust in England
- Search by postcode
- All specialty pages by trust
Other specialties at University Hospitals Dorset
- Cardiology
- Dermatology
- Ear, nose and throat (ENT)
- Elderly medicine
- Gastroenterology
- General internal medicine
- General surgery
- Gynaecology
- Neurology
- Ophthalmology
- Oral surgery
- Respiratory medicine
- Rheumatology
- Urology
Frequently asked questions
How long is the wait for trauma and orthopaedics at University Hospitals Dorset?
At the end of August 2026, half of the 8,476 pathways waiting for trauma and orthopaedics at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust had waited 16.7 weeks or less, and 53.7% 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 University Hospitals Dorset 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, 92 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 University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/specialty-waits/university-hospitals-dorset-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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