ShortestWait

Hospital waiting times in Greater Manchester

North West29 providersAugust 2026 figures

Across Greater Manchester's hospitals, 477,241 patients were waiting at the end of August 2026. Half had waited less than 13.1 weeks, against 12.2 weeks across England.

Median wait
13.1 weeks
92% waiting less than
39.7 weeks
Waiting under 18 weeks
62%
Waiting over a year
7,508

Waiting times by specialty

Specialty Area median England median Shortest in the area
General surgery 13.7 wks 12.8 wks Highfield Hospital (6.9 wks)
Urology 14.1 wks 12.2 wks Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (6.6 wks)
Orthopaedics 14.0 wks 13.9 wks Spire Manchester Hospital (8.6 wks)
Ear, nose and throat 15.7 wks 15.4 wks Beacon Medical Services Group Limited (5.6 wks)
Ophthalmology (eyes) 11.4 wks 10.4 wks Spamedica Bolton (5.1 wks)
Oral surgery 16.8 wks 16.4 wks Stockport NHS Foundation Trust (3.3 wks)
Neurosurgery 17.3 wks 13.4 wks Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (17.3 wks)
Plastic surgery 17.7 wks 14.0 wks The Christie NHS Foundation Trust (3.7 wks)
Cardiothoracic surgery 8.0 wks 9.6 wks Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (8.1 wks)
General medicine 7.6 wks 10.2 wks Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (7.7 wks)
Gastroenterology 12.3 wks 11.0 wks Endocare Diagnostics Ltd (1.0 wks)
Cardiology (heart) 12.4 wks 11.9 wks Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (7.0 wks)
Dermatology (skin) 14.7 wks 10.5 wks Omnes Healthcare Ltd (5.8 wks)
Respiratory medicine 8.4 wks 10.4 wks Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (6.7 wks)
Neurology 13.3 wks 13.2 wks Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (7.5 wks)
Rheumatology 10.1 wks 10.9 wks Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (6.4 wks)
Elderly medicine 7.8 wks 7.6 wks Stockport NHS Foundation Trust (3.1 wks)
Gynaecology 15.7 wks 14.2 wks Lancaster House Consulting Diagnostics Surgical Ltd Hq (6.0 wks)
Other medical specialties 9.9 wks 10.7 wks The Christie NHS Foundation Trust (4.1 wks)
Other mental health 9.0 wks 8.4 wks no provider with 50+ waiting
Other paediatric specialties 14.6 wks 12.3 wks Stockport NHS Foundation Trust (5.3 wks)
Other surgical specialties 10.3 wks 11.4 wks Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (5.9 wks)
Other services 11.0 wks 8.7 wks Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (8.6 wks)

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

Median wait across all specialties

  • Greater Manchester
  • England
Greater Manchester: median wait in weeks, Sep 2024 to Aug 2026The median wait fell from 16.6 weeks to 13.1 weeks between September 2024 and August 2026.05101520Feb 2025Aug 2025Feb 2026Aug 202613.1 wks
Show the figures
MonthGreater ManchesterEngland
August 202613.112.2
July 20261312
June 202613.311.9
May 202613.412.4
April 202612.811.9
March 202612.111.3
February 202613.913.2
January 202614.713.6
December 202514.913.5
November 202514.812.9
October 202514.913.3
September 202514.913.4
August 202515.313.5
July 202515.213.1
June 202515.113.4
May 202515.213.6
April 202514.913.3
March 202515.613.9
February 202516.114.2
January 202516.514.5
December 202416.514.2
November 202416.614
October 202416.614.2
September 202416.614.4

Hospitals and providers in Greater Manchester

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