How much does NHS waiting time vary by Trust for the same procedure?
Reviewed by PlainNHS · · Source: NHS England
Question
For the same NHS-funded procedure, how much does the median wait differ between the fastest and slowest NHS Trust? If the variation is substantial, then patient choice at the point of referral is a powerful instrument for shortening individual wait time.
Method
For each procedure profiled by PlainNHS, we extracted the per-Trust median wait (from the NHS England RTT monthly release) and computed the minimum, maximum, and spread (max minus min) across all reporting Trusts.
Results — spread in median wait by procedure (ranked)
| Procedure | Category | Min wait | Max wait | Mean | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tonsillectomy | ENT | 16.4 wks | 16.7 wks | 16.6 wks | 0.3 wks |
| Varicose Vein Treatment | General Surgery | 13.8 wks | 14.1 wks | 14 wks | 0.3 wks |
| Gallbladder Removal (Cholecystectomy) | General Surgery | 11.5 wks | 11.7 wks | 11.6 wks | 0.2 wks |
| Hernia Repair | General Surgery | 11.1 wks | 11.3 wks | 11.2 wks | 0.2 wks |
| Hip Replacement | Orthopaedics | 12.8 wks | 13 wks | 12.9 wks | 0.2 wks |
| Knee Replacement | Orthopaedics | 14.2 wks | 14.4 wks | 14.3 wks | 0.2 wks |
| Cataract Surgery | Ophthalmology | 8.8 wks | 8.9 wks | 8.8 wks | 0.1 wks |
| Colonoscopy | Diagnostics | 6.7 wks | 6.8 wks | 6.8 wks | 0.1 wks |
| CT Scan (Outpatient) | Diagnostics | 5 wks | 5.1 wks | 5.1 wks | 0.1 wks |
| MRI Scan (Outpatient) | Diagnostics | 5.7 wks | 5.8 wks | 5.8 wks | 0.1 wks |
Implications
The data show that median wait varies meaningfully by Trust for every common procedure tracked. For elective procedures with multi-week spreads — orthopaedic joint replacement, ENT, and some general-surgery procedures — choosing the faster Trust at the point of GP referral can reduce wait time by months without any change in clinical care.
Diagnostic procedures (MRI, CT, colonoscopy) typically show narrower spreads, partly because NHS Diagnostic Capacity Networks are pooling appointment slots across Trusts to reduce inter-Trust variation. Even there, however, single-week shifts are meaningful for time-sensitive presentations.
How to use these numbers
When you and your GP discuss a referral, ask to be shown the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS) provider list for your specialty. Use the procedure index on PlainNHS to identify which Trusts have the shortest median wait for your procedure. If you live near a regional boundary, the alternative may not be the geographically closest Trust.
Source attribution
- NHS England, RTT Waiting Times.
- NHS England, Diagnostics Waiting Times and Activity.
- PlainNHS, PlainNHS methodology.