18week median wait · June 2026
Half of the 3,451 people on the trauma and orthopaedic list here have been waiting longer than 18 weeks, half less. That is 3 weeks shorter than a year ago. It is about 3 weeks longer than the England average for this specialty. 132 of them have been waiting more than a year.
51%
seen within 18 weeks
(the standard is 92%)
48
weeks for the slowest 8% of the queue
268 / 301
shortest wait in England for this specialty
Which way it’s moving
3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust Preston | 28 miles | 7 wks | 11 wks |
| Lancaster Private Hospital Lancaster | 57 miles | 7 wks | 11 wks |
| East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust Blackburn | 30 miles | 7 wks | 10 wks |
| Spire Manchester Hospital Manchester | 19 miles | 7 wks | 10 wks |
| Nuffield Health, Wolverhampton Hospital Wolverhampton | 73 miles | 8 wks | 10 wks |
Other waits here
The same right to choose applies to every one of these. North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust reports 6 other specialties in the June 2026 figures.
| Specialty | Waiting | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Other: Surgical Services | 5,658 | 14 wks |
| Gynaecology | 3,580 | 13 wks |
| Ear Nose and Throat | 3,438 | 16 wks |
| Other: Medical Services | 3,327 | 16 wks |
| Gastroenterology | 2,878 | 10 wks |
| Ophthalmology | 2,345 | 8 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.