Carpal tunnel surgery waiting times
How long the wait for carpal tunnel surgery really is, what it looks like at your own hospital, and the three honest routes through it: NHS, a targeted private step, or fully private.
Updated July 2026 · NHS RTT data
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Across England, half of Trauma & Orthopaedics patients are treated within 27 weeks; the average is 29, and 1 in 5 wait longer than 49 weeks.
Half are treated within 27 weeks
The average wait is 29 weeks
1 in 5 wait longer than 49 weeks
Pooled across 118 NHS trusts (33,554 patients). Source: NHS RTT, July 2026.
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Your three routes
We don't tell you which to pick: we give you the honest shape of each and let you decide.
Join the queue and wait. Nationally that's a median of about 27 weeks, and longer at many hospitals. Check yours above.
Best if cost is the main concern and waiting weeks or months is manageable.
Pay to be diagnosed sooner, then have the operation on the NHS. If you are already referred, this does not change your place in the queue.
Best if you want to save significant time with a targeted spend, without paying for everything privately.
Pay for everything, including the carpal tunnel decompression itself (typically £2,300–£3,500 for the surgical package), and skip the NHS wait entirely. The fastest route, and the most expensive.
Best if speed is critical and budget allows.
If a private consultation is what gets you referred, your NHS wait starts from that referral, not from when your symptoms began or when you first saw your GP. You lose nothing by going private first, because you had no NHS clock running to lose. But you do not gain a head start either. Ask your GP for an NHS referral at the same time, so the clock starts while you are being seen privately.
What it costs privately
A private carpal tunnel decompression is typically £2,300 to £3,500: the all-in surgical package (surgeon, anaesthetist, theatre, hospital stay, follow-up). A private consultation to get there, and a scan if needed, are a few hundred pounds on top. If you pay for just the diagnosis, the carpal tunnel decompression itself stays free on the NHS.
Typical UK self-pay package prices, reviewed periodically.
How long is the private wait? Privately there is no formal waiting list. Allow about 3 to 6 weeks from your first consultation to treatment: against an NHS median of about 27 weeks in Trauma & Orthopaedics.
Related conditions
See every NHS trust's carpal tunnel surgery wait, ranked fastest first →
See NHS orthopaedics waiting times by hospital →
See the carpal tunnel surgery wait at every NHS hospital, ranked fastest first →
NHS carpal tunnel surgery waiting times at major hospitals
New Cross Hospital · Addenbrooke's Hospital · York Hospital · Torbay Hospital · Musgrove Park Hospital · Royal Berkshire Hospital · Hereford County Hospital · Derriford Hospital · Royal Cornwall Hospital · Manchester Royal Infirmary · Homerton University Hospital · John Radcliffe Hospital · Southampton General Hospital · Russells Hall Hospital · Bristol Royal Infirmary · Frimley Park Hospital
Browse all NHS waiting times →
See what a carpal tunnel surgery costs privately, and on the NHS →
See NHS nerve conduction test waits, hospital by hospital →
Common questions
About carpal tunnel surgery
What it is
Carpal tunnel syndrome happens when a nerve in the wrist (the median nerve) is squeezed. It causes tingling, numbness or pain in the thumb and first fingers, often worse at night, and can weaken your grip. It is usually diagnosed from your symptoms and an examination, and if that is not clear, a nerve conduction test may be used. Small electrical pulses are applied to the skin to measure how well signals travel along the nerve, which shows how badly it is affected. The test can feel like tingling or mild shocks, usually takes under an hour, and you can carry on as normal afterwards.
How it is usually treated
Mild cases often improve with a wrist splint worn at night, and a steroid injection can help. If symptoms continue or are severe, surgery (carpal tunnel release) cuts a ligament in the wrist to take pressure off the nerve. It's usually done under local anaesthetic as a day case.
After treatment
Your hand will be bandaged for a few days, and you'll be encouraged to move your fingers straight away. Avoid heavy use of the hand for a few weeks. Return to work depends on your job: sometimes within days for desk work, several weeks for manual work. Tingling and night pain often improve quickly. In severe or long-standing cases recovery can be slower, and grip strength can take months to return.
General information only, not medical advice. Your GP, consultant or physiotherapist will advise on your own situation.
Written by the Wait or Pay team and sourced to the NHS. Last reviewed September 2026.
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