NHS Waiting Times for Operations by Specialty (July 2026)

NHS England reports waits by specialty rather than by individual operation. The table shows the main specialties, the operations they cover, and the share of patients waiting under 18 weeks, from the longest waits to the shortest.

Figures are for England, rounded to the nearest thousand, from NHS England referral to treatment data for July 2026. They cover everyone waiting in each specialty, including people still waiting for a first appointment or tests, not only those on a surgical list.

Which Operations Have the Longest NHS Waits?

NHS waiting times for operations are longest in a handful of surgical specialties:

• Oral surgery: the lowest share of patients seen within 18 weeks, at 54%. This includes wisdom teeth removal, which many people wait months for.
• Ear, nose and throat: 58% within 18 weeks, with nearly 600,000 waiting. Tonsillectomy and nasal surgery are common long waits.
• Gynaecology: 60% within 18 weeks, with about 587,000 waiting, including many women waiting for hysterectomy, hysteroscopy and prolapse surgery.
• Orthopaedics: 61% within 18 weeks and the biggest list of any specialty, covering hip and knee replacements, arthroscopy and foot and shoulder surgery.

This pattern has held for some time: the Nuffield Trust’s analysis of January 2026 data also found oral surgery, ENT and plastic surgery had the lowest share of patients within 18 weeks.

How Long Is the Wait for an Operation on the NHS?

The NHS waiting time clock starts when your GP (or another professional) refers you, and stops when treatment starts. For an operation, the wait usually includes several stages:

1. A first consultant appointment. See NHS referral waits.
2. Tests and scans, such as an MRI. See NHS MRI waits.
3. A decision to operate and being added to the surgical waiting list.
4. A pre-operative assessment, then a date for surgery.

The overall median wait was 12 weeks in July 2026, but that includes people who only need a consultation. People who need an operation often wait longer, because each stage adds time. The difference between a day case and an overnight stay is explained in inpatient vs outpatient care.

Urgent and Routine Operations

Hospitals prioritise surgery by clinical need. Many use priority categories introduced by the surgical royal colleges’ specialty associations: P1 for emergency and very urgent operations needed within about 72 hours, P2 within a month, P3 within three months, and P4 for operations that can safely wait longer. Most hip and knee replacements, cataracts and hernia repairs are treated as routine, which is why their waits can be long. Suspected cancer follows separate, faster pathways. If your symptoms get worse while you wait, contact your GP or the hospital, as your priority can be changed.

Is There a Maximum Waiting Time for an Operation?

In England, the NHS Constitution gives you the right to start consultant-led treatment within a maximum of 18 weeks from referral for non-urgent conditions. In practice about a third of patients wait longer. If you are likely to wait more than 18 weeks, you can ask the NHS to look into offering you treatment at another provider. The rules differ elsewhere in the UK: Scotland has a 12-week Treatment Time Guarantee for inpatient and day case treatment, and Wales works to a 26-week standard.

NHS waiting times for operations are published monthly, so the share of people treated within 18 weeks moves up and down. For what you can do if your wait is too long, see how to jump the NHS waiting list and why NHS waiting times are so long.

Waits for Common Operations

Hernia operations. Hernia repair is one of the most searched-for NHS waits. It sits in general surgery, where 63% of patients had waited under 18 weeks in July 2026. See private hernia surgery costs, hernia symptoms and hiatus hernia.

Cataract operations. Ophthalmology is one of the quicker specialties at 73% within 18 weeks, partly because many NHS cataract operations are done by independent providers. See NHS cataract surgery waiting times and private cataract surgery.

Hip and knee operations. Orthopaedics has the largest list. See hip replacement waits, knee surgery waits, private hip replacement, private knee replacement, partial knee replacement, ACL reconstruction, meniscus surgery and hip arthroscopy.

Foot, shoulder and hand. See bunion surgery, ankle replacement, rotator cuff repair and frozen shoulder treatment.

Gynaecology. See prolapse surgery waits, private hysterectomy, private hysteroscopy, endometriosis treatment and private gynaecologists.

Other common operations. See gallbladder surgery and gallstones, piles surgery, varicose vein removal, tonsillectomy, wisdom teeth removal, vasectomy and weight-loss surgery.

How to Get Your Operation Sooner

NHS waiting times for operations vary between hospitals as well as specialties, which gives you some room to act.

1. Choose a hospital with a shorter wait (England, free). When you are referred for a first outpatient appointment you can usually choose any hospital offering that service, including independent hospitals that treat NHS patients. Waits for the same operation can differ by months between nearby hospitals.

2. Pay for your operation (self-pay). Private hospitals offer fixed-price packages, usually with surgery within a few weeks. See private operation costs, the private surgery hub, the cheapest way to go private and paying in instalments. You can pay for one step, such as a scan, and return to the NHS; see mixing NHS and private treatment.

3. Health insurance. Insurance pays for private consultations, scans and operations for new conditions that start after you join. It does not usually cover conditions you already have, so it helps with the next problem rather than a current wait. See the private health insurance hub, pre-existing conditions and is private health insurance worth it?

Weighing it up? See should I wait for the NHS or go private? and NHS vs private healthcare.

FAQs: NHS Waiting Times for Operations (2026)