Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
North London trust comprising the Royal Free, Barnet, and Chase Farm hospitals.
CQC rating
Good
Inspected 2024-05-18
RTT 18-week
73.2%
73.2% treated within the 18-week standard
A&E 4-hour
79%
Pct admitted/discharged in 4 hours
Cancer 62-day
82.5%
Pct treated within 62 days of urgent referral
The verdict
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust ranks 8 of 12 Trusts PlainNHS tracks on the 18-week RTT standard, around the median RTT performer and carries a CQC rating of Good.
Ranked against the 12 Trusts PlainNHS currently profiles on this metric, not a full national census.
What this means for patients
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is a acute (teaching) based in London, London. It is rated Good by the Care Quality Commission (most recently inspected 2024-05-18). On the headline NHS England operational targets, the trust reported 73.2% of elective pathways completed within the 18-week referral-to-treatment standard, 79% of A&E attendances admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours, and 82.5% of urgent cancer referrals treated within 62 days for the latest reporting month.
Patients have a statutory right to choose where in England they are referred for non-urgent NHS treatment (the Choose & Book entitlement). Use the waiting-time table below to compare Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust's median wait against the procedures most commonly chosen by NHS patients - including cataract surgery, hip and knee replacement, MRI and CT scans, and hernia repair, and use the peer comparison further down to see how this trust ranks within London on the same RTT standard.
The figures here are statistical aggregates published by NHS England and NHS Digital. They do not predict the timing of any individual case. Always confirm referral and pathway details with your GP or with the treating trust before making care decisions.
Waiting times by procedure
| Procedure | Category | Median wait | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| CT Scan (Outpatient) | Diagnostics | 5.1 wks | 10.6 wks |
| MRI Scan (Outpatient) | Diagnostics | 5.8 wks | 12.7 wks |
| Colonoscopy | Diagnostics | 6.8 wks | 14.2 wks |
| Cataract Surgery | Ophthalmology | 8.9 wks | 17.2 wks |
| Hernia Repair | General Surgery | 11.2 wks | 19.8 wks |
| Gallbladder Removal (Cholecystectomy) | General Surgery | 11.6 wks | 21.2 wks |
| Hip Replacement | Orthopaedics | 12.9 wks | 22.9 wks |
| Varicose Vein Treatment | General Surgery | 14 wks | 24.2 wks |
| Knee Replacement | Orthopaedics | 14.4 wks | 25.9 wks |
| Tonsillectomy | ENT | 16.6 wks | 27.5 wks |
Source: NHS England Referral-to-Treatment (RTT) waiting times, reporting month 2025-12. View source
Other NHS Trusts in London
Source attribution & methodology
- CQC inspection rating: Care Quality Commission
- RTT 18-week, A&E 4-hour, cancer 62-day: NHS England Statistics
- Trust profile (bed count, type): https://www.royalfree.nhs.uk
- Methodology: how PlainNHS aggregates upstream NHS data
Important: This page presents publicly available NHS performance data (NHS England + CQC). 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.