Referral to treatment (RTT) data for August 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Page updated 1 November 2026
NHS waiting times for operations and treatment by specialty
In August 2026, 7.19 million pathways were waiting to start consultant-led treatment in England. 65.2% had waited under 18 weeks (standard 92%) and the median wait so far was 12.2 weeks. Trauma and Orthopaedic had the largest list, with 851,183 pathways.
These are referral to treatment (RTT) figures: waits for planned (non-emergency) care led by a consultant, from referral until treatment starts. They include operations, but also outpatient-only care, so not everyone counted is waiting for surgery. NHS England does not publish waits for individual operations.
Which specialties have the longest NHS waiting lists?
| Specialty | Waiting list | % under 18 wks | Median wks waited | 92nd percentile wks | Over 52 wks | % over 52 wks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trauma and Orthopaedic | 851,183 | 60.9% | 13.9 | 43 | 22,043 | 2.6% |
| Ophthalmology | 625,063 | 72.2% | 10.4 | 33 | 5,022 | 0.8% |
| Ear Nose and Throat | 590,233 | 56.8% | 15.4 | 42 | 12,031 | 2.0% |
| Gynaecology | 586,582 | 59.6% | 14.2 | 42 | 12,885 | 2.2% |
| Dermatology | 423,217 | 69.0% | 10.5 | 38 | 5,256 | 1.2% |
| General Surgery | 384,914 | 63.2% | 12.8 | 42 | 8,213 | 2.1% |
| Urology | 367,027 | 64.8% | 12.2 | 39 | 5,222 | 1.4% |
| Cardiology | 362,143 | 67.9% | 11.9 | 36 | 2,790 | 0.8% |
| Gastroenterology | 358,127 | 69.7% | 11.0 | 37 | 3,640 | 1.0% |
| Oral Surgery | 316,357 | 53.8% | 16.4 | 44 | 7,544 | 2.4% |
| Neurology | 208,030 | 62.3% | 13.2 | 39 | 2,078 | 1.0% |
| Respiratory Medicine | 182,914 | 74.1% | 10.4 | 32 | 669 | 0.4% |
| Rheumatology | 118,397 | 70.4% | 10.9 | 35 | 1,070 | 0.9% |
| Plastic Surgery | 109,605 | 59.4% | 14.0 | 45 | 3,575 | 3.3% |
| Neurosurgical | 54,748 | 62.0% | 13.4 | 40 | 806 | 1.5% |
| General Internal Medicine | 31,589 | 72.3% | 10.2 | 33 | 222 | 0.7% |
| Elderly Medicine | 27,431 | 84.3% | 7.6 | 26 | 90 | 0.3% |
| Cardiothoracic Surgery | 8,798 | 73.6% | 9.6 | 34 | 106 | 1.2% |
92nd percentile: 92% of pathways had waited this long or less (the 18-week standard is set at the 92nd percentile). Download as CSV.
Which specialties have the shortest and longest median waits?
Shortest median time waited: Elderly Medicine (7.6 weeks), Cardiothoracic Surgery (9.6 weeks), General Internal Medicine (10.2 weeks). Longest: Oral Surgery (16.4 weeks), Ear Nose and Throat (15.4 weeks), Gynaecology (14.2 weeks).
How many people wait for treatment from independent providers?
Of the pathways reported by individual providers, 6.6% were with independent (non-NHS) providers that treat NHS patients, such as independent hospitals and treatment centres. This is a Waiting Times UK calculation from NHS England’s provider-level data; NHS patients treated by these providers keep the same rights.
How do waits for treatment vary by region?
| Region | Waiting list | % under 18 wks | Over 52 wks | % over 52 wks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 1,298,105 | 67.7% | 13,270 | 1.0% |
| South East | 1,068,442 | 63.3% | 21,405 | 2.0% |
| South West | 601,782 | 67.5% | 6,954 | 1.2% |
| Midlands | 1,255,456 | 63.9% | 19,559 | 1.6% |
| East of England | 874,494 | 61.0% | 23,025 | 2.6% |
| North West | 1,064,345 | 64.3% | 14,511 | 1.4% |
| North East and Yorkshire | 1,026,589 | 68.5% | 14,234 | 1.4% |
Regional totals are a Waiting Times UK calculation: provider figures added up by each provider’s integrated care board region.
For hospital trusts, see compare NHS trusts or the trust pages.
What are my rights while I wait for an operation?
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.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the wait for an operation on the NHS?
It depends on the specialty and the hospital. In August 2026, half of all pathways in England had waited 12.2 weeks or less. Check the specialty table above and the trust comparisons.
Are these waits for surgery only?
No. Referral to treatment figures cover all consultant-led planned care, including treatment in outpatient clinics as well as operations.
Why is “pathways” used instead of “people”?
Each referral is a separate pathway, so one person waiting for two different treatments is counted twice. NHS England estimates the number of individual people separately.
Where can I see waits for my hospital?
Use the compare page for trust-level waits, or NHS England’s NHS England: My Planned Care for waits by hospital and specialty.
How should I cite these figures?
Waiting Times UK, “NHS waiting times for operations and treatment by specialty”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/waiting-times/operations (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 1 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)
- Method for regional figures: ICB and NHS England region figures are sums of the published provider-level RTT counts, grouped by the provider's parent ICB and that ICB's NHS England region (calculated by Waiting Times UK). Activity counts are sums from the NHS England RTT full CSV extract.
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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