ShortestWait

Hospital waiting times in Central East

East of England34 providersAugust 2026 figures

Across Central East's hospitals, 396,110 patients were waiting at the end of August 2026. Half had waited less than 12.8 weeks, against 12.2 weeks across England.

Median wait
12.8 weeks
92% waiting less than
39.7 weeks
Waiting under 18 weeks
63%
Waiting over a year
4,957

Waiting times by specialty

Specialty Area median England median Shortest in the area
General surgery 14.4 wks 12.8 wks Spire Harpenden Hospital (7.8 wks)
Urology 12.4 wks 12.2 wks Blakelands Hospital (7.0 wks)
Orthopaedics 16.6 wks 13.9 wks Spire Bushey Hospital (7.5 wks)
Ear, nose and throat 17.1 wks 15.4 wks Spire Harpenden Hospital (3.5 wks)
Ophthalmology (eyes) 11.6 wks 10.4 wks Spamedica Bedford (3.7 wks)
Oral surgery 19.7 wks 16.4 wks Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (16.7 wks)
Neurosurgery 12.3 wks 13.4 wks Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (12.4 wks)
Plastic surgery 10.6 wks 14.0 wks East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust (8.6 wks)
Cardiothoracic surgery 8.8 wks 9.6 wks East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust (8.1 wks)
General medicine 10.3 wks 10.2 wks North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (3.6 wks)
Gastroenterology 9.0 wks 11.0 wks Pinehill Hospital (4.3 wks)
Cardiology (heart) 12.4 wks 11.9 wks The Hamptons Hospital Ltd (3.7 wks)
Dermatology (skin) 12.0 wks 10.5 wks Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (5.2 wks)
Respiratory medicine 8.2 wks 10.4 wks The Hamptons Hospital Ltd (6.2 wks)
Neurology 11.9 wks 13.2 wks East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust (7.0 wks)
Rheumatology 11.0 wks 10.9 wks Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (7.6 wks)
Elderly medicine 7.5 wks 7.6 wks West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (6.0 wks)
Gynaecology 14.6 wks 14.2 wks The Hamptons Hospital Ltd (7.3 wks)
Other medical specialties 10.5 wks 10.7 wks Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (8.1 wks)
Other mental health 18.5 wks 8.4 wks no provider with 50+ waiting
Other paediatric specialties 12.8 wks 12.3 wks North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (10.9 wks)
Other surgical specialties 9.8 wks 11.4 wks Spire Harpenden Hospital (3.9 wks)
Other services 12.7 wks 8.7 wks West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (6.0 wks)

Area figures combine all the area's providers, counting every patient on their lists.

Median wait across all specialties

  • Central East
  • England
Central East: median wait in weeks, Sep 2024 to Aug 2026The median wait fell from 15.8 weeks to 12.8 weeks between September 2024 and August 2026.05101520Feb 2025Aug 2025Feb 2026Aug 202612.8 wks
Show the figures
MonthCentral EastEngland
August 202612.812.2
July 202612.712
June 20261311.9
May 20261312.4
April 202612.311.9
March 202611.911.3
February 202613.513.2
January 202613.713.6
December 202513.613.5
November 202513.212.9
October 202513.813.3
September 202513.913.4
August 202514.213.5
July 202513.713.1
June 202514.313.4
May 202514.613.6
April 202514.413.3
March 202515.213.9
February 202515.414.2
January 202515.714.5
December 202415.614.2
November 202415.614
October 202415.914.2
September 202415.814.4

Hospitals and providers in Central East

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