11week median wait · June 2026
Half of the 3,844 people on the ophthalmology list here have been waiting longer than 11 weeks, half less. That is 2 weeks shorter than a year ago. 13 of them have been waiting more than a year.
73%
seen within 18 weeks
(the standard is 92%)
32
weeks for the slowest 8% of the queue
226 / 298
shortest wait in England for this specialty
Which way it’s moving
2 weeks shorter than a year ago.
2 weeks of those came off in the last six months alone.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spamedica Preston Preston | 29 miles | 4 wks | 7 wks |
| Spamedica Newcastle-Under-Lyme Newcastle | 44 miles | 4 wks | 7 wks |
| Spamedica Bolton Bolton | 23 miles | 5 wks | 6 wks |
| Spamedica Blackpool Blackpool | 33 miles | 5 wks | 6 wks |
| Spamedica Chesterfield Chesterfield | 72 miles | 5 wks | 6 wks |
Other waits here
The same right to choose applies to every one of these. Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust reports 6 other specialties in the June 2026 figures.
| Specialty | Waiting | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Plastic Surgery | 8,118 | 16 wks |
| Trauma and Orthopaedic | 7,704 | 10 wks |
| Dermatology | 7,553 | 16 wks |
| Other: Medical Services | 7,399 | 11 wks |
| Ear Nose and Throat | 7,010 | 14 wks |
| Gastroenterology | 6,926 | 9 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.