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A&E data for September 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Diagnostics (DM01) data for August 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Referral to treatment (RTT) data for August 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Page updated 2 November 2026

NHS waiting times in Salford

Waits near Salford at a glance

A&E – Northern Care Alliance NOT LIVE

7 in 10 (70.0%)

of A&E attendances ended in admission, transfer or discharge within 4 hours. At the main (type 1) A&E it was 3 in 5 (61.5%).

Official monthly figure for Sep 2026 · published 8 October 2026 · NHS England

Northern Care Alliance does not publish live A&E waits, so this is the latest official monthly figure. Not sure you need A&E? Use NHS 111 online or call 111.

Nearby A&E and how Salford compares →

Other waits in Salford

Short answer: Salford is served mainly by Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, in the NHS England North West region. In September 2026, 70.0% of A&E attendances at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust ended within 4 hours (admitted, transferred or discharged), against 74.4% across England and the 95% standard; at the end of August 2026, 90.7% of the 7,627 people waiting for an MRI scan there had waited under 6 weeks (England 78.0%); at the end of August 2026, 96.0% of the 2,125 people waiting for a CT scan there had waited under 6 weeks (England 88.8%); the median wait so far for planned hospital treatment was 15.5 weeks (England 12.2 weeks).

Source: NHS England A&E and diagnostics (DM01) and referral to treatment (RTT) statistics, published 8 October 2026. These are past figures, not a forecast of how long you will wait.

Salford, Greater Manchester, is served mainly by Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust. This page brings together the latest published NHS England figures for A&E, scans and tests, and planned hospital treatment at that trust, with trends and comparisons against the North West region and England. To compare every trust side by side, use compare NHS trusts.

Salford: local hospitals and referrals

  • Nearest hospital run by Northern Care Alliance: Bridgewater Hospital (M15 5AT), about 3 miles from central Salford.
  • Usually referred to: patients in Salford are usually referred to Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the nearest major hospital. Your GP or referrer can tell you where you would go.
  • Nearest community diagnostic centre: Northern Care Alliance CDC - Salford (M50 1ZD), about 2 miles away. Source: NHS England CDC activity data, Aug 2026.
  • Integrated care board: NHS Greater Manchester ICB.

A&E waiting times in Salford

70.0%of A&E attendances admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hours (September 2026)
61.5%within 4 hours at the main (type 1) A&E
36,218A&E attendances in the month
1,103waited over 12 hours from the decision to admit (not from arrival)

In September 2026, 70.0% of the 36,218 A&E attendances at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust ended with the patient admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hours. That is 4.4 percentage points below the England average of 74.4% and 1.8 percentage points below the North West average of 71.8%. It ranks 77 of 120 trusts with a major A&E in England and 10 of 18 in North West (ranked on the all-types 4-hour figure; 1 = highest share). At the main emergency department (type 1), 61.5% spent 4 hours or less, against 60.6% across England. 8,258 patients were admitted as emergencies through A&E, and 1,103 waited more than 12 hours from the decision to admit them to being admitted.

Over the last 13 months the 4-hour figure has ranged from 68.3% (November 2025) to 73.6% (March 2026); it is down 1.4 percentage points since September 2025.

Northern Care Alliance: % within 4 hours of arrival67%70%73%76%78%Sep 25Nov 25Jan 26Mar 26May 26Jul 26Sep 26

Northern Care Alliance: % within 4 hours of arrival England

Full A&E page for Salford: 13-month history, nearby A&E departments and what to do if it is not an emergency.

Scan and test waiting times in Salford

Diagnostic waiting lists at Northern Care Alliance, end of August 2026
TestWaiting listWaiting under 6 weeksWaiting 13+ weeksEngland under 6 weeks
MRI7,62790.7%878.0%
CT2,12596.0%288.8%
Ultrasound4,20592.9%478.3%
Endoscopy4,72458.3%77669.6%

Detailed pages: MRI scan waiting times in Salford · CT scan waiting times in Salford · Ultrasound waiting times in Salford · Endoscopy waiting times in Salford.

Waiting times for planned hospital treatment

15.5 wksmedian wait (England 12.2 weeks)
55.8%waiting under 18 weeks (England 65.2%)
136,973people waiting for consultant-led treatment
3,932waiting over 52 weeks

At the end of August 2026, 136,973 people were waiting to start consultant-led treatment at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust. Half had waited less than 15.5 weeks (England: 12.2 weeks) and 55.8% had waited under 18 weeks, 9.4 percentage points below the England figure of 65.2%. The NHS constitution standard is 92% within 18 weeks.

Largest specialty waiting lists
SpecialtyWaitingMedian weeksUnder 18 weeksOver 52 weeksEngland median weeks
Neurology17,05313.261.3%15613.2
Dermatology15,61718.349.2%5310.5
Trauma and Orthopaedic14,82315.754.3%68613.9
Gastroenterology14,11315.256.6%33211.0
Gynaecology10,22919.147.5%83114.2
Ear Nose and Throat9,75115.954.8%30315.4
Other - Surgicals8,45213.060.5%24711.4
Urology7,58115.854.3%21712.2
Northern Care Alliance: median RTT wait (weeks)1012141517Feb 26Mar 26Apr 26May 26Jun 26Jul 26Aug 26

Northern Care Alliance: median RTT wait (weeks) England

ADHD and autism assessment waits in the local ICB area

ADHD: in June 2026 there were 44,380 open referrals that may be for an ADHD assessment in NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board. 26,380 (59.4%) had been open for a year or more, compared with 57.8% across England. 31,250 had no first contact recorded yet. ADHD waits by area.

Autism: in June 2026, 24,915 people had an open suspected autism referral in this ICB area, and 22,535 (90.4%) had been waiting at least 13 weeks (England 86.8%). Autism waits by area.

NHS England counts open referrals that may be for ADHD. It describes these figures as management information and experimental statistics, so they are approximate and depend on how services record referrals. See also mental health waiting times.

Nearby towns

A&E performance at the main trust for the nearest towns on this site.

What these figures mean

The 4-hour A&E figure is the share of A&E attendances that ended with the patient admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hours of arriving. The NHS constitution standard is 95%. The diagnostics figures show how long people on the waiting list for a test had waited at the end of the month; the standard is that fewer than 1% wait 6 weeks or more. The referral to treatment (RTT) figures cover people waiting to start consultant-led treatment, against a standard of 92% within 18 weeks. These are averages for a whole trust and do not predict how long any one person will wait.

Explore further: Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust · NHS waiting times in the North West region · A&E waiting times in England · MRI scan waits in England · CT scan waits in England · operation waits by specialty · compare trusts · guides to NHS waiting times.

Sources and dates

Official statisticsReporting periodPublishedLink
NHS England: A&E attendances and emergency admissionsSeptember 20268 October 2026Official source
NHS England: Diagnostics waiting times (DM01)August 20268 October 2026Official source
NHS England: Referral to treatment (RTT) waiting timesAugust 20268 October 2026Official source
NHS England: ADHD Management Information (open referrals that may be for an ADHD assessment)June 202627 August 2026Official source
NHS England: Autism waiting time statistics (open suspected autism referrals)June 202613 August 2026Official source

This page was last updated on 2 November 2026. The reporting period is the time the figures describe; the published date is when the official publisher released them. These figures describe people who were already waiting or attending during the reporting period. They are not a forecast or a guarantee of how long someone referred now will wait: that depends on clinical urgency, the hospital and the service.

Official statistics are reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. See data sources and methods, or report a figure that looks wrong.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the A&E wait in Salford?

In September 2026, 70.0% of A&E attendances at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust were admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hours, against 74.4% across England. 1,103 patients waited more than 12 hours from decision to admit. Actual waits depend on how urgent your condition is.

How long is the wait for an MRI scan in Salford?

At the end of August 2026, 90.7% of the 7,627 people waiting for an MRI scan at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust had waited under 6 weeks (England 78.0%).

How long is the wait for a CT scan in Salford?

At the end of August 2026, 96.0% of the 2,125 people waiting for a CT scan at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust had waited under 6 weeks (England 88.8%).

How long is the wait for hospital treatment in Salford?

The median wait for consultant-led treatment at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust was 15.5 weeks at the end of August 2026, and 55.8% of patients had waited under 18 weeks.

Which NHS trust serves Salford?

Salford is mapped to Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust on this site, based on the nearest major hospitals. Some patients may be treated by other trusts depending on where they live and are referred.

How often are these waiting times updated?

NHS England publishes A&E, diagnostics (DM01) and referral to treatment (RTT) statistics every month, usually on the second Thursday. A&E figures cover the previous month; diagnostics and RTT figures are a month further behind. This site refreshes when new files are published.