NHS Procedures
Median NHS waiting times for common elective and diagnostic pathways, drawn from the latest NHS England Referral-to-Treatment (RTT) monthly release and the diagnostics-waiting-times publication. The 90th-percentile column shows the wait length within which 9 out of 10 patients are treated - useful when planning around a worst-case timeline.
| Procedure | Category | Median wait (wks) | 90th percentile | Annual volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CT Scan (Outpatient) | Diagnostics | 5.4 | 11.2 | 1,850,000 |
| MRI Scan (Outpatient) | Diagnostics | 6.1 | 13.5 | 2,100,000 |
| Colonoscopy | Diagnostics | 7.2 | 15 | 420,000 |
| Cataract Surgery | Ophthalmology | 9.4 | 18.2 | 425,000 |
| Hernia Repair | General Surgery | 11.9 | 21 | 76,000 |
| Gallbladder Removal (Cholecystectomy) | General Surgery | 12.3 | 22.4 | 61,000 |
| Hip Replacement | Orthopaedics | 13.7 | 24.3 | 105,000 |
| Varicose Vein Treatment | General Surgery | 14.8 | 25.6 | 24,000 |
| Knee Replacement | Orthopaedics | 15.2 | 27.4 | 110,000 |
| Tonsillectomy | ENT | 17.6 | 29.1 | 32,000 |
Source: NHS England RTT & diagnostics monthly statistics.