NHS Procedures
Median NHS waits for common elective and diagnostic pathways, from the latest NHS England RTT and diagnostics releases. The 90th percentile is a published upper-bound context, not a personal forecast.
What this list shows
Published median waits in this list range from 3 weeks for CT Scan (Outpatient) to 15 weeks for Tonsillectomy. The procedure and Trust both matter, so use the detail page before relying on a national median.
- 3 wks
- CT Scan (Outpatient) median
- 15 wks
- Tonsillectomy median
- 10
- Published procedure pathways on file
Source: NHS England RTT and diagnostics monthly statistics. A published national median is not a personal wait forecast.
| Procedure | Category | Median wait (wks) | 90th percentile | Annual volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CT Scan (Outpatient) | Diagnostics | 3 | 7 | 1,850,000 |
| MRI Scan (Outpatient) | Diagnostics | 4 | 11 | 2,100,000 |
| Colonoscopy | Diagnostics | 4 | 14 | 420,000 |
| Cataract Surgery | Ophthalmology | 10 | 31 | 425,000 |
| Hip Replacement | Orthopaedics | 14 | 40 | 105,000 |
| Knee Replacement | Orthopaedics | 14 | 40 | 110,000 |
| Hernia Repair | General Surgery | 14 | 39 | 76,000 |
| Varicose Vein Treatment | General Surgery | 14 | 39 | 24,000 |
| Gallbladder Removal (Cholecystectomy) | General Surgery | 14 | 39 | 61,000 |
| Tonsillectomy | ENT | 15 | 39 | 32,000 |
Source: NHS England RTT & diagnostics monthly statistics.
What to do with this index
Pick the procedure you were referred for, then check trust-level waits, not just the national median.
- Published medians on file range from 3 weeks (CT Scan (Outpatient)) to 15 weeks (Tonsillectomy). Shortest median
- Compare two trusts on the same specialty or diagnostic return. Compare trusts
- Read how the 18-week RTT clock differs from cancer and diagnostic standards. RTT guide
National specialty medians only, open the procedure page for profiled-trust tables.
Download the trust-level RTT extract used with these procedure medians: hospitals.csv · open data