18week median wait · June 2026
Half of the 328 people on the general surgery list here have been waiting longer than 18 weeks, half less. That is 1 week shorter than a year ago. It is about 4 weeks longer than the England average for this specialty. 4 of them have been waiting more than a year.
50%
seen within 18 weeks
(the standard is 92%)
44
weeks for the slowest 8% of the queue
224 / 241
shortest wait in England for this specialty
Which way it’s moving
1 week shorter than a year ago.
That hides a turn: it is 1 week shorter than twelve months ago, but 1 week longer than six months ago.
Median wait each month, 18 months to June 2026.
How the queue is spread
Treating sooner nearby
Comparable providers within 75 miles reporting a shorter wait. You have a legal right to ask for any of them.
| Provider | Miles | Median | Sooner by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust Gateshead | 8 miles | 5 wks | 13 wks |
| South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust Sunderland | 12 miles | 7 wks | 11 wks |
| Woodlands Hospital Darlington | 44 miles | 8 wks | 10 wks |
| Tees Valley Hospital Middlesbrough | 43 miles | 8 wks | 9 wks |
| Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust North Shields | 2 miles | 9 wks | 9 wks |
Other waits here
The same right to choose applies to every one of these. Cobalt Hospital reports 3 other specialties in the June 2026 figures.
| Specialty | Waiting | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Plastic Surgery | 894 | 15 wks |
| Trauma and Orthopaedic | 474 | 13 wks |
| Gastroenterology | 392 | 5 wks |
Straight answers
About this figure
- It’s about six weeks behind. NHS England publishes monthly, with a lag. This page shows June 2026.
- It’s a trust-level average, not your wait. Your own wait depends on urgency, clinical need and which site you are treated at. Large trusts run several hospitals.
- It counts people still waiting (incomplete pathways at month end), not people already treated.
This page presents official statistics and points to a right you already have. It isn’t medical advice, and it can’t tell you whether switching is right for you. Your clinician can.