Acute (Teaching) East of England Good

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Cambridge teaching hospital trust, includes Addenbrookes and the Rosie maternity hospital.

Data vintage: June 2026 · Reviewed by PlainNHS ·

RTT 18-week

65%

Far below standard

Waiting list

59,372

incomplete pathways across 22 specialties

Waiting 52+ weeks

922

Low 52+ burden

CQC rating

Good

Published 2019-02-26

The wait picture

Cambridge University Hospitals ranks 176 of 266 English NHS providers with waiting lists above 1,000 on the 18-week RTT standard (65% within standard; 59,372 incomplete pathways). Longest published specialty median here: General Internal Medicine at 24 weeks.

65%
Incomplete pathways within 18 weeks
59,372
Incomplete pathways on the list
24 wks
Longest specialty median (General Internal Medicine)
922
Patients waiting 52+ weeks

Ranked on NHS England's RTT-June-2026 incomplete-pathway return against every English provider with a list above 1,000 (not only the trusts PlainNHS profiles). Specialty charts use rows with ≥100 incomplete pathways.

Care Quality Commission · Cambridge University Hospitals

Caring rated Outstanding; Responsive rated Requires improvement

On CQC's file, Cambridge University Hospitals's strongest published key question is Caring (Outstanding); the weakest is Responsive (Requires improvement), dated 2019-02-26. Overall is Good. These are inspection findings, not a forecast of any individual wait. How to read CQC bands. CQC provider page.

  • Safe Good
  • Effective Good
  • Caring Outstanding
  • Responsive Requires improvement
  • Well-led Outstanding

Published performance context

How this profile sits in the published data

PlainNHS converts the measures below into percentiles within the named comparison groups, then combines them into a transparent context score. It is not a clinical-quality rating, a referral recommendation, or a prediction of an individual wait. The official source values remain the decision-relevant record.

Published performance context for Cambridge University Hospitals. Each axis is a percentile in its stated comparison group; the centre score uses the displayed weights. 3-axis radar comparing 1 series across 18-week standard, 52-week burden, Published CQC band. 18-week standard52-week burdenPublished CQC band 44 context / 100 50th percentile
Published performance context for Cambridge University Hospitals. Each axis is a percentile in its stated comparison group; the centre score uses the displayed weights.

44/100 context score. Weights automatically redistribute when a source value is unavailable.

  • 18-week standard: 34th percentile (50% weight)
    65% of incomplete pathways were within 18 weeks. 266 English providers with 1,000+ incomplete pathways. Source: NHS England RTT incomplete-pathway return.
  • 52-week burden: 24th percentile (30% weight)
    15.5 patients waiting 52+ weeks per 1,000 incomplete pathways. 266 English providers with 1,000+ incomplete pathways. Source: NHS England RTT incomplete-pathway return.
  • Published CQC band: 100th percentile (20% weight)
    CQC overall rating: Good. 10 profiled English trusts with a matched CQC overall rating. Source: Care Quality Commission published provider rating.

A percentile describes this publication's comparison group, not care quality or likely treatment timing. CQC inspection bands and RTT operational data measure different things and should be read separately as well as together.

NHS England RTT incomplete return

Cambridge University Hospitals incomplete-pathway return June 2026 · provider×specialty

Cambridge University Hospitals · 65% within 18w · #176/266 · 59,372 incomplete

Cambridge University Hospitals line from NHS England's consultant-led incomplete-pathway return (RTT-June-2026), compared with nearest within-18-week peers outside East of England. How RTT works → · Compare two trusts →

Cambridge University Hospitals in the within-18-week neighbourhood

Oxford University: 62.5%Oxford University62.5%Royal Free London: 63.2%Royal Free London63.2%Manchester Unive…: 63.8%Manchester Unive…63.8%Cambridge Univer…: 65%Cambridge Univer…65%University Colle…: 65%University Colle…65%Kings College: 67.5%Kings College67.5%
Share of incomplete pathways within 18 weeks for Cambridge University Hospitals and nearest RTT-profile peers. Source: NHS England consultant-led RTT provider return.

Specialty median waits at Cambridge University Hospitals

Sorted ascending. Incomplete pathways with ≥100 patients from NHS England's consultant-led RTT return (RTT-June-2026). Showing the four shortest and twelve longest of 20 published specialties.

Gastroenterology: 5 wksGastroenterology5 wksRespiratory Medicine: 6 wksRespiratory Medicine6 wksMedical Services: 8 wksMedical Services8 wksRheumatology: 8 wksRheumatology8 wksUrology: 12 wksUrology12 wksOphthalmology: 12 wksOphthalmology12 wksNeurosurgical: 12 wksNeurosurgical12 wksPlastic Surgery: 12 wksPlastic Surgery12 wksPaediatric Services: 12 wksPaediatric Services12 wksTrauma and Orthopaedic: 16 wksTrauma and Orthopaedic16 wksEar Nose and Throat: 17 wksEar Nose and Throat17 wksGeneral Surgery: 18 wksGeneral Surgery18 wks
Median incomplete-pathway wait (weeks) by specialty at Cambridge University Hospitals

Share within 18 weeks by specialty

Sorted descending. Same specialty set as the median chart; useful when comparing queues inside this trust.

Respiratory Medicine: 96.8%Respiratory Medicine96.8%Rheumatology: 86.4%Rheumatology86.4%Gastroenterology: 86.1%Gastroenterology86.1%Medical Services: 81.5%Medical Services81.5%Ophthalmology: 69.3%Ophthalmology69.3%Paediatric Services: 69.1%Paediatric Services69.1%Urology: 67.2%Urology67.2%Neurosurgical: 66.6%Neurosurgical66.6%Plastic Surgery: 62.5%Plastic Surgery62.5%Trauma and Orthopaedic: 55.8%Trauma and Orthopaedic55.8%Ear Nose and Throat: 53.6%Ear Nose and Throat53.6%General Surgery: 52.2%General Surgery52.2%
Share of incomplete pathways within 18 weeks by specialty at Cambridge University Hospitals

Waiting times by specialty

Incomplete pathways from NHS England's consultant-led RTT provider return. Longest published median on this trust: General Internal Medicine Service (24 weeks). RTT is reported by treatment function (specialty), not by individual operation - a hernia repair sits inside General Surgery, not as its own row.

Specialty Median wait 92nd percentile Within 18 weeks Waiting
Gastroenterology Service 5 wks 23 wks 86.1% 1,594
Respiratory Medicine Service 6 wks 13 wks 96.8% 647
Other - Medical Services 8 wks 28 wks 81.5% 7,904
Rheumatology Service 8 wks 22 wks 86.4% 1,858
Other - Other Services 8 wks 36 wks 73.5% 1,027
Dermatology Service 10 wks 37 wks 67.9% 3,695
Other - Surgical Services 10 wks 36 wks 72.2% 3,964
Neurology Service 11 wks 28 wks 74.9% 1,476
Urology Service 12 wks 36 wks 67.2% 2,329
Ophthalmology Service 12 wks 35 wks 69.3% 4,120
Neurosurgical Service 12 wks 37 wks 66.6% 2,066
Plastic Surgery Service 12 wks 38 wks 62.5% 2,032
Other - Paediatric Services 12 wks 37 wks 69.1% 4,735
Trauma and Orthopaedic Service 16 wks 39 wks 55.8% 4,470
Ear Nose and Throat Service 17 wks 46 wks 53.6% 3,648
General Surgery Service 18 wks 42 wks 52.2% 1,519
Cardiology Service 18 wks 45 wks 51.3% 3,108
Gynaecology Service 19 wks 49 wks 49.1% 4,485
Oral Surgery Service 22 wks 49 wks 41.2% 3,814
General Internal Medicine Service 24 wks 52 wks 39% 793

Source: NHS England Referral-to-Treatment (RTT) waiting times, RTT-June-2026. Specialties with fewer than 100 incomplete pathways are omitted. View source

Diagnostic test waiting times

NHS England's monthly Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity (DM01) return for Cambridge University Hospitals, by test type. This tracks scans and investigations, separate from the specialty treatment waits above.

Test Median wait Within 6 weeks Over 13 weeks Waiting
Urodynamics 7 wks 45.9% 83 218
Echocardiography 6 wks 55.8% 461 2,200
Non Obstetric Ultrasound 6 wks 52% 1,167 4,983
MRI 5 wks 64.5% 167 4,830
Sleep Studies 4 wks 71.2% 1 104
Audiology Assessments 3 wks 75.5% 53 734
Barium Enema 3 wks 100% 0 40
Colonoscopy 3 wks 99.5% 2 1,001
DEXA Scan 3 wks 98.8% 1 500
Flexi Sigmoidoscopy 3 wks 99.5% 0 188
Gastroscopy 3 wks 97.5% 4 841
Peripheral Neurophys 3 wks 83.3% 0 472
CT 2 wks 88.3% 8 1,136
Cystoscopy 2 wks 85.9% 7 185

Source: NHS England Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity (DM01), DM01-MAY-2026. Tests with fewer than 20 patients waiting are omitted. View source

Trusts with a similar RTT profile

Other English trusts with a within-18-week share within 2.5 percentage points of Cambridge University Hospitals's 65%, ranked by closeness, outside East of England.

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
London · RTT 18wk: 65%
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
North West · RTT 18wk: 63.8%
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
London · RTT 18wk: 63.2%
Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
London · RTT 18wk: 67.5%
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
South East · RTT 18wk: 62.5%

Trusts moving similarly this month

Peers whose within-18-week share moved in the same direction by a similar amount between RTT-May-2026 and RTT-June-2026. Cambridge University Hospitals's change: +0.4 pp.

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
London · MoM: +0.5 pp
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
North West · MoM: +0.2 pp
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
South East · MoM: +0.1 pp
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Yorkshire & Humber · MoM: +0.1 pp
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust
London · MoM: +1.1 pp

Longest mapped procedure waits at this trust

Procedure pages joined to this trust's slowest RTT treatment functions on file. Use them to compare national medians and per-trust tables.

Answers, sources and standards

Check the evidence behind this page

Start with the common questions, then follow the primary sources used for the figures above.

Common questions about this trust

What is the CQC rating of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust?

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has CQC key-question ratings on file: Overall Good; Safe Good; Effective Good; Caring Outstanding; Responsive Requires improvement; Well-led Outstanding. Published 2019-02-26. Inspection findings are not wait forecasts.

How is Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust performing on the NHS 18-week RTT standard?

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust completed 65% of elective pathways within the 18-week standard in NHS England's RTT-June-2026 return, with 59,372 patients on an incomplete pathway.

Can I choose to be referred to Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust?

Yes, in England the NHS Choose & Book (e-RS) entitlement gives you a statutory right at the point of GP referral to choose any clinically appropriate NHS Trust. See our Choose & Book guide for the full process.

Primary sources

Data current as of

About the portal

PlainNHS

An independent public-data reference that compiles NHS England waiting-time statistics and Care Quality Commission ratings. It accepts no payment from NHS trusts or any covered entity, and advertising placements do not influence editorial presentation.

Important: This page presents publicly available NHS performance data. It is not medical advice and does not predict timing or outcome of any individual case. Always consult your GP, NHS 111, or the treating Trust for clinical decisions.

What to do next

Use Cambridge University Hospitals's published RTT return before you chase a clinical answer.

  • Cambridge University Hospitals reported 65% of incomplete pathways within 18 weeks (59,372 waiting across 22 specialties on the June 2026 return). Compare with another trust
  • Longest median wait at this trust on file: Hernia Repair (18 weeks). Open procedure profile
  • Read how the 18-week clock and incomplete-pathway counts are defined in NHS England’s monthly release. RTT guide

Published operational data only, not medical advice. Contact your GP, NHS 111, or the treating trust for clinical decisions.

Source: NHS England Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting times · RTT-June-2026 CQC overall + five key-question ratings matched from the Care Quality Commission published provider file (cqc_provider_ratings).

Compiled from official public sources by the publisher.

Spotted a figure that looks wrong? Report a correction.

PlainNHS trust pages are rendered directly from NHS England RTT provider returns and matched CQC overall ratings, no number is typed in by an editor. Specialty waits and within-18-week shares for Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust come from the live provider×specialty return on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Data current as of RTT-June-2026. Figures here are for context and comparison; clinical pathway decisions belong with your GP, NHS 111, or the treating Trust.