Acute (Teaching) South East Requires improvement

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Oxford teaching hospital trust spanning the John Radcliffe, Churchill, and Horton hospitals.

Data vintage: June 2026 · Reviewed by PlainNHS ·

RTT 18-week

62.5%

Far below standard

Waiting list

90,587

incomplete pathways across 23 specialties

Waiting 52+ weeks

1,714

Low 52+ burden

CQC rating

Requires improvement

Published 2019-06-07

The wait picture

Oxford University Hospitals ranks 209 of 266 English NHS providers with waiting lists above 1,000 on the 18-week RTT standard (62.5% within standard; 90,587 incomplete pathways). Longest published specialty median here: Oral Surgery at 19 weeks.

62.5%
Incomplete pathways within 18 weeks
90,587
Incomplete pathways on the list
19 wks
Longest specialty median (Oral Surgery)
1,714
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 · Oxford University Hospitals

Effective rated Good; Safe rated Requires improvement

On CQC's file, Oxford University Hospitals's strongest published key question is Effective (Good); the weakest is Safe (Requires improvement), dated 2019-06-07. Overall is Requires improvement. These are inspection findings, not a forecast of any individual wait. How to read CQC bands. CQC provider page.

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

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 Oxford 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 28 context / 100 50th percentile
Published performance context for Oxford University Hospitals. Each axis is a percentile in its stated comparison group; the centre score uses the displayed weights.

28/100 context score. Weights automatically redistribute when a source value is unavailable.

  • 18-week standard: 22nd percentile (50% weight)
    62.5% 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: 18th percentile (30% weight)
    18.9 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: 56th percentile (20% weight)
    CQC overall rating: Requires improvement. 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

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

Oxford University Hospitals · 62.5% within 18w · #209/266 · 90,587 incomplete

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

Oxford 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%
Share of incomplete pathways within 18 weeks for Oxford University Hospitals and nearest RTT-profile peers. Source: NHS England consultant-led RTT provider return.

Specialty median waits at Oxford 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.

Rheumatology: 7 wksRheumatology7 wksElderly Medicine: 7 wksElderly Medicine7 wksRespiratory Medicine: 8 wksRespiratory Medicine8 wksOther Services: 8 wksOther Services8 wksSurgical Services: 11 wksSurgical Services11 wksGastroenterology: 12 wksGastroenterology12 wksPlastic Surgery: 14 wksPlastic Surgery14 wksPaediatric Services: 14 wksPaediatric Services14 wksNeurology: 15 wksNeurology15 wksGynaecology: 15 wksGynaecology15 wksUrology: 16 wksUrology16 wksTrauma and Orthopaedic: 16 wksTrauma and Orthopaedic16 wks
Median incomplete-pathway wait (weeks) by specialty at Oxford University Hospitals

Share within 18 weeks by specialty

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

Elderly Medicine: 90.1%Elderly Medicine90.1%Rheumatology: 88.8%Rheumatology88.8%Respiratory Medicine: 87.4%Respiratory Medicine87.4%Other Services: 79.6%Other Services79.6%Surgical Services: 68.8%Surgical Services68.8%Gastroenterology: 67.3%Gastroenterology67.3%Paediatric Services: 62.6%Paediatric Services62.6%Plastic Surgery: 61.9%Plastic Surgery61.9%Neurology: 58.3%Neurology58.3%Gynaecology: 58.3%Gynaecology58.3%Urology: 56.4%Urology56.4%Trauma and Orthopaedic: 55.4%Trauma and Orthopaedic55.4%
Share of incomplete pathways within 18 weeks by specialty at Oxford University Hospitals

Waiting times by specialty

Incomplete pathways from NHS England's consultant-led RTT provider return. Longest published median on this trust: Oral Surgery Service (19 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
Rheumatology Service 7 wks 21 wks 88.8% 1,322
Elderly Medicine Service 7 wks 21 wks 90.1% 676
Respiratory Medicine Service 8 wks 20 wks 87.4% 1,443
Other - Other Services 8 wks 35 wks 79.6% 1,315
General Surgery Service 11 wks 38 wks 70.4% 1,686
Neurosurgical Service 11 wks 31 wks 76.8% 1,091
Cardiology Service 11 wks 32 wks 70% 3,961
Other - Medical Services 11 wks 37 wks 70.4% 15,324
Other - Surgical Services 11 wks 38 wks 68.8% 5,971
Gastroenterology Service 12 wks 42 wks 67.3% 3,956
Plastic Surgery Service 14 wks 39 wks 61.9% 1,828
Other - Paediatric Services 14 wks 41 wks 62.6% 6,623
Neurology Service 15 wks 39 wks 58.3% 3,214
Gynaecology Service 15 wks 47 wks 58.3% 7,397
Urology Service 16 wks 42 wks 56.4% 4,411
Trauma and Orthopaedic Service 16 wks 43 wks 55.4% 8,079
Ear Nose and Throat Service 17 wks 44 wks 54.5% 7,119
Dermatology Service 17 wks 46 wks 52.8% 6,511
Ophthalmology Service 18 wks 46 wks 51.8% 5,254
Oral Surgery Service 19 wks 46 wks 48.4% 3,303

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 Oxford 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
Audiology Assessments 14 wks 16% 822 1,521
Colonoscopy 13 wks 31.1% 490 1,040
Gastroscopy 13 wks 28.1% 541 1,146
Flexi Sigmoidoscopy 7 wks 47.3% 80 319
Peripheral Neurophys 7 wks 42.3% 43 208
Sleep Studies 4 wks 57.3% 104 302
Cystoscopy 3 wks 79% 11 248
DEXA Scan 3 wks 100% 0 952
Echocardiography 3 wks 95.6% 1 342
MRI 3 wks 87.3% 93 4,704
Non Obstetric Ultrasound 3 wks 98.6% 0 5,153
Urodynamics 3 wks 84.5% 9 97
Barium Enema 2 wks 100% 0 102
CT 2 wks 100% 0 2,493

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 Oxford University Hospitals's 62.5%, ranked by closeness, outside South East.

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
London · RTT 18wk: 63.2%
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
North West · RTT 18wk: 63.8%
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
East of England · RTT 18wk: 65%
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
London · RTT 18wk: 65%

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 Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust?

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has CQC key-question ratings on file: Overall Requires improvement; Safe Requires improvement; Effective Good; Caring Good; Responsive Good; Well-led Requires improvement. Published 2019-06-07. Inspection findings are not wait forecasts.

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

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust completed 62.5% of elective pathways within the 18-week standard in NHS England's RTT-June-2026 return, with 90,587 patients on an incomplete pathway.

Can I choose to be referred to Oxford 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 Oxford University Hospitals's published RTT return before you chase a clinical answer.

  • Oxford University Hospitals reported 62.5% of incomplete pathways within 18 weeks (90,587 waiting across 23 specialties on the June 2026 return). Compare with another trust
  • Longest median wait at this trust on file: Cataract Surgery (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 Oxford 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.