Rheumatology waiting times at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
At the end of August 2026, half of the 3,450 patients waiting for rheumatology treatment at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust had waited less than 15.5 weeks, and 92% less than 35.5 weeks. That is 4.6 weeks longer than the England median of 10.9 weeks.
- Median wait
- 15.5 weeks
- 92% waiting less than
- 35.5 weeks
- Waiting under 18 weeks
- 57%
- Patients waiting
- 3,450
109th shortest of 120 providers in England, and 19th of 19 in London, ranked by median wait. See the full rheumatology ranking.
Shorter waits within 30 miles
Providers with a hospital within 30 miles of Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and a shorter median wait for rheumatology. You can usually ask your GP to refer you to any of them.
- Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust median 3.4 weeks · 4 miles away (St Bartholomews Hospital) · NHS · compare
- Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust median 5.2 weeks · 11 miles away (Kingston Hospital) · NHS · compare
- Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust median 5.2 weeks · 30 miles away (Frimley Park Hospital) · NHS · compare
- Whittington Health NHS Trust median 5.5 weeks · 1 miles away (The Whittington Hospital) · NHS · compare
- Guy'S and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust median 5.7 weeks · 4 miles away (St Thomas' Hospital_evelina Day Surgery Centre Elective Surgical Hub) · NHS · compare
Median wait over two years
- Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
- England
Show the figures
| Month | Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust | England |
|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | 15.5 | 10.9 |
| July 2026 | 14.4 | 10.5 |
| June 2026 | 15.1 | 10.4 |
| May 2026 | 15 | 11.0 |
| April 2026 | 13.8 | 10.6 |
| March 2026 | 12.6 | 9.9 |
| February 2026 | 15.8 | 11.7 |
| January 2026 | 17.3 | 12.2 |
| December 2025 | 17.1 | 11.9 |
| November 2025 | 17.5 | 11.5 |
| October 2025 | 16.9 | 11.8 |
| September 2025 | 16.9 | 11.8 |
| August 2025 | 16.4 | 11.7 |
| July 2025 | 15.9 | 11 |
| June 2025 | 15.1 | 11.3 |
| May 2025 | 14.3 | 11.3 |
| April 2025 | 14.8 | 11 |
| March 2025 | 15.4 | 10.8 |
| February 2025 | 14.5 | 12.2 |
| January 2025 | 14.5 | 12.4 |
| December 2024 | 15.0 | 12.3 |
| November 2024 | 14.6 | 11.8 |
| October 2024 | 14.3 | 12.1 |
| September 2024 | 14 | 12.2 |
How long patients have been waiting
Share of the 3,450 patients waiting at the end of August 2026, by how long they had waited so far. 57% had waited under 18 weeks; 0 had waited over a year.
Show the figures
| Waited | Patients | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 6 weeks | 684 | 20% |
| 6 to 12 weeks | 706 | 20% |
| 12 to 18 weeks | 575 | 17% |
| 18 to 26 weeks | 675 | 20% |
| 26 to 39 weeks | 670 | 19% |
| 39 to 52 weeks | 140 | 4% |
| 52 to 65 weeks | 0 | 0% |
| 65 to 78 weeks | 0 | 0% |
| 78 to 104 weeks | 0 | 0% |
| Over 104 weeks | 0 | 0% |
Patients treated in August 2026
- 460 patients started treatment without being admitted, or were discharged from the waiting list. Their median wait was 26.0 weeks.
- 506 new patients joined the waiting list.
These completed waits show how long people who were actually treated had waited, which is often a better guide to an operation than the waiting list as a whole.
About these figures
- These are waits for rheumatology as a whole, not for one particular operation. Within a specialty some treatments are quicker than others.
- Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust reports one figure for all its hospitals.
- Waits run from referral to the start of consultant-led treatment, for routine care. Urgent and suspected cancer referrals are seen sooner.
- Source: NHS England referral to treatment statistics for August 2026.
All specialties at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust · Compare with another hospital · About the data