NHS league table
Orthopaedics waiting times, by hospital
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See your free wait-or-pay dashboard→The longest median orthopaedic wait in England is at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust: about 70 weeks. The national median is 27 weeks.
The typical wait shown is the median: half waited less, half waited longer. Ranked by median wait, NHS RTT, July 2026.
What this table does not tell you
A longer wait does not mean worse care. A trust can appear near the top because it treats more complex cases, serves a more deprived population, or is a regional specialist centre taking the referrals others can't. This table measures one thing only: the median wait for the whole orthopaedic pathway, and says nothing about the quality of treatment, outcomes, or how ill the patients are. Read it as a map of where the queues are, not a judgement of any hospital. It ranks acute NHS trusts only: community and mental-health trusts run MSK triage and refer surgery out, so their figures are not comparable and are excluded (method below).
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The # is each trust's median rank(worst = #1). It stays fixed when you sort by another column, so it won't match the row order under a Mean or Patients sort.
Trust
Typical wait
Mean
1 in 5 wait longer than
Patients waiting
#1Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
70 wks
69 wks
104 wks
230
#2Doncaster And Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
60 wks
49 wks
66 wks
365
#3Norfolk And Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
57 wks
48 wks
70 wks
331
#4Dartford And Gravesham NHS Trust
55 wks
44 wks
59 wks
264
#5Isle Of Wight NHS Trust
51 wks
45 wks
58 wks
133
#6Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
47 wks
39 wks
60 wks
278
#7Lewisham And Greenwich NHS Trust
46 wks
42 wks
57 wks
188
#8Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
46 wks
42 wks
59 wks
74
#9East And North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust
45 wks
42 wks
57 wks
94
#10University Hospitals Of Leicester NHS Trust
45 wks
43 wks
62 wks
315
#11Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
44 wks
39 wks
60 wks
346
#12The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust
43 wks
40 wks
53 wks
175
#13Mid And South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
42 wks
45 wks
76 wks
406
#14Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
42 wks
35 wks
51 wks
589
#15Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust
42 wks
37 wks
54 wks
549
#16Barking, Havering And Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust
41 wks
35 wks
48 wks
221
#17East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust
41 wks
37 wks
55 wks
410
#18Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
41 wks
37 wks
55 wks
233
#19Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
40 wks
40 wks
56 wks
167
#20Ashford And St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
40 wks
38 wks
56 wks
164
#21The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust
39 wks
31 wks
50 wks
270
#22Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
39 wks
33 wks
54 wks
145
#23West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
39 wks
38 wks
53 wks
168
#24London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
38 wks
33 wks
50 wks
338
#25East Suffolk And North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
38 wks
33 wks
51 wks
481
#26West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
38 wks
33 wks
51 wks
179
#27County Durham And Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
37 wks
35 wks
48 wks
171
#28University Hospitals Of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
37 wks
36 wks
56 wks
323
#29Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
37 wks
35 wks
52 wks
244
#30University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
36 wks
36 wks
57 wks
479
#31Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust
36 wks
35 wks
56 wks
386
#32Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
36 wks
36 wks
57 wks
575
#33United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
35 wks
31 wks
46 wks
288
#34East Cheshire NHS Trust
35 wks
32 wks
45 wks
36
#35Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
35 wks
32 wks
58 wks
242
#36North Cheshire And Mersey NHS Foundation Trust
35 wks
34 wks
58 wks
173
#37Countess Of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
34 wks
31 wks
49 wks
71
#38Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
34 wks
32 wks
52 wks
184
#39Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
34 wks
33 wks
50 wks
111
#40Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
33 wks
33 wks
53 wks
260
#41Harrogate And District NHS Foundation Trust
33 wks
29 wks
46 wks
223
#42The Robert Jones And Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
33 wks
31 wks
50 wks
509
#43Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
33 wks
35 wks
59 wks
314
#44East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
33 wks
31 wks
48 wks
278
#45The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust
33 wks
34 wks
53 wks
155
#46Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
33 wks
35 wks
59 wks
124
#47Medway NHS Foundation Trust
32 wks
31 wks
45 wks
151
#48Wye Valley NHS Trust
32 wks
33 wks
50 wks
148
#49York And Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
32 wks
32 wks
50 wks
339
#50Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
32 wks
32 wks
53 wks
456
#51The Shrewsbury And Telford Hospital NHS Trust
31 wks
32 wks
50 wks
225
#52Northern Lincolnshire And Goole NHS Foundation Trust
30 wks
30 wks
47 wks
201
#53The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust
30 wks
29 wks
47 wks
272
#54Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
30 wks
28 wks
45 wks
186
#55Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
30 wks
30 wks
46 wks
91
#56Sandwell And West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
29 wks
28 wks
47 wks
218
#57King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
29 wks
30 wks
45 wks
170
#58Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
29 wks
32 wks
53 wks
252
#59North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
29 wks
30 wks
47 wks
161
#60Guy's And St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
29 wks
29 wks
47 wks
305
#61University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
28 wks
28 wks
53 wks
593
#62North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust
28 wks
26 wks
47 wks
320
#63University Hospitals Coventry And Warwickshire NHS Trust
28 wks
30 wks
52 wks
274
#64Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust
28 wks
27 wks
44 wks
122
#65Chelsea And Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
28 wks
29 wks
51 wks
141
#66University Hospitals Of Derby And Burton NHS Foundation Trust
28 wks
30 wks
53 wks
1,005
#67South Tyneside And Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
28 wks
28 wks
43 wks
381
#68East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
28 wks
30 wks
40 wks
201
#69Barts Health NHS Trust
28 wks
31 wks
54 wks
131
#70University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
27 wks
30 wks
48 wks
196
#71The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
27 wks
30 wks
46 wks
126
#72Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
27 wks
26 wks
43 wks
397
#73Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
26 wks
27 wks
45 wks
341
#74Epsom And St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
26 wks
27 wks
41 wks
513
#75Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
25 wks
27 wks
48 wks
413
#76The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust
25 wks
28 wks
45 wks
579
#77Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
25 wks
29 wks
46 wks
130
#78Kingston And Richmond NHS Foundation Trust
25 wks
26 wks
46 wks
88
#79Whittington Health NHS Trust
25 wks
24 wks
37 wks
93
#80Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
24 wks
30 wks
57 wks
302
#81Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
24 wks
26 wks
46 wks
407
#82Surrey And Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
23 wks
26 wks
48 wks
297
#83Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
22 wks
26 wks
43 wks
90
#84The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
22 wks
26 wks
48 wks
496
#85Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
21 wks
23 wks
40 wks
561
#86Tameside And Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
21 wks
21 wks
38 wks
243
#87Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
21 wks
25 wks
44 wks
129
#88James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
21 wks
23 wks
40 wks
386
#89Maidstone And Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
21 wks
22 wks
33 wks
454
#90Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
20 wks
26 wks
49 wks
209
#91Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
20 wks
25 wks
49 wks
309
#92Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
20 wks
22 wks
41 wks
296
#93Calderdale And Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust
19 wks
20 wks
33 wks
268
#94Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
19 wks
22 wks
39 wks
214
#95South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
19 wks
21 wks
37 wks
478
#96Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust
19 wks
23 wks
44 wks
150
#97Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
19 wks
22 wks
36 wks
1,014
#98The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
18 wks
21 wks
35 wks
614
#99University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
18 wks
21 wks
36 wks
91
#100Airedale NHS Foundation Trust
18 wks
23 wks
40 wks
156
#101George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust
18 wks
19 wks
29 wks
242
#102Bolton NHS Foundation Trust
18 wks
21 wks
40 wks
74
#103Mersey And West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
17 wks
22 wks
41 wks
420
#104Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust
17 wks
21 wks
35 wks
162
#105Wrightington, Wigan And Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
17 wks
21 wks
37 wks
972
#106Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust
17 wks
22 wks
46 wks
381
#107Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust
17 wks
20 wks
34 wks
303
#108University Hospitals Of North Midlands NHS Trust
16 wks
21 wks
39 wks
459
#109North Tees And Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust
16 wks
20 wks
34 wks
318
#110Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
15 wks
24 wks
41 wks
162
#111University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
15 wks
18 wks
30 wks
344
#112South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust
13 wks
15 wks
22 wks
428
#113Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
12 wks
23 wks
51 wks
32
#114Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
9 wks
17 wks
35 wks
133
#115St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
9 wks
19 wks
46 wks
112
#116Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
8 wks
18 wks
38 wks
157
#117Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
4 wks
7 wks
14 wks
211
Ranked by median wait, NHS RTT, July 2026. #1 is the longest median wait.
Method & source
Ranked by median wait for the orthopaedic pathway (NHS treatment function C_110), NHS England Referral to Treatment (RTT), July 2026. Median, mean, and the 1-in-5 figure (the 80th percentile) are derived from the published RTT week-band data. Acute NHS trusts only: community and mental-health trusts run MSK triage and refer surgery out, so their orthopaedic figures are not comparable to an acute surgical trust's and are excluded (0 this month). Provider type: NHS England Oversight Framework (Sep 2025). Trusts with fewer than 30 patients on the pathway are excluded from the ranking (1 excluded this month): too few to rank one hospital against another reliably. 117 trusts are ranked.
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