6week median wait · June 2026
Half of the 478 people on the rheumatology list here have been waiting longer than 6 weeks, half less. That is 17 weeks shorter than a year ago. It is about 6 weeks shorter than the England average for this specialty.
95%
seen within 18 weeks
(the standard is 92%)
16
weeks for the slowest 8% of the queue
24 / 123
shortest wait in England for this specialty
Which way it’s moving
17 weeks shorter than a year ago.
8 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
Comparable providers nearby
Nothing within 75 miles is treating rheumatology more than two weeks sooner than here, so on these figures you are already near the front of the queue. The closest comparable providers are below so you can see that for yourself.
| Provider | Miles | Median | Against here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Wirral | 17 miles | 18 wks | 12 wks longer |
| Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Liverpool | 18 miles | 9 wks | 3 wks longer |
| Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Prescot | 19 miles | 13 wks | 6 wks longer |
| North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust Warrington | 22 miles | 17 wks | 11 wks longer |
| Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Crewe | 23 miles | 16 wks | 9 wks longer |
Other waits here
The same right to choose applies to every one of these. Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust reports 6 other specialties in the June 2026 figures.
| Specialty | Waiting | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Other: Surgical Services | 5,388 | 13 wks |
| Ophthalmology | 2,952 | 12 wks |
| Other: Medical Services | 2,839 | 11 wks |
| Ear Nose and Throat | 2,739 | 12 wks |
| Gynaecology | 2,645 | 15 wks |
| Dermatology | 2,283 | 11 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.