Rheumatology waiting times at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
At the end of August 2026, half of the 1,566 patients waiting for rheumatology treatment at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust had waited less than 13.0 weeks, and 92% less than 37.7 weeks. That is 2.0 weeks longer than the England median of 10.9 weeks.
- Median wait
- 13.0 weeks
- 92% waiting less than
- 37.7 weeks
- Waiting under 18 weeks
- 64%
- Patients waiting
- 1,566
95th shortest of 120 providers in England, and 12th of 17 in North West, ranked by median wait. See the full rheumatology ranking.
Shorter waits within 30 miles
Providers with a hospital within 30 miles of Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and a shorter median wait for rheumatology. You can usually ask your GP to refer you to any of them.
- Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust median 6.4 weeks · 18 miles away (Altrincham Hospital) · NHS · compare
- Manchester Surgical Services Ltd median 7.2 weeks · 11 miles away (Wigan Infirmary) · Independent · compare
- Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust median 7.8 weeks · 11 miles away (Royal Albert Edward Infirmary) · NHS · compare
- Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust median 7.9 weeks · 22 miles away (Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust) · NHS · compare
- Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust median 7.9 weeks · 30 miles away (Tameside Hospital ENT Outpatients) · NHS · compare
Median wait over two years
- Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- England
Show the figures
| Month | Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | England |
|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | 13 | 10.9 |
| July 2026 | 12.2 | 10.5 |
| June 2026 | 12.7 | 10.4 |
| May 2026 | 13.5 | 11.0 |
| April 2026 | 12.2 | 10.6 |
| March 2026 | 11.1 | 9.9 |
| February 2026 | 12.6 | 11.7 |
| January 2026 | 13.5 | 12.2 |
| December 2025 | 13.0 | 11.9 |
| November 2025 | 14 | 11.5 |
| October 2025 | 13.5 | 11.8 |
| September 2025 | 13.9 | 11.8 |
| August 2025 | 14.9 | 11.7 |
| July 2025 | 15.6 | 11 |
| June 2025 | 16.3 | 11.3 |
| May 2025 | 16.2 | 11.3 |
| April 2025 | 14.3 | 11 |
| March 2025 | 12.9 | 10.8 |
| February 2025 | 13.7 | 12.2 |
| January 2025 | 13.7 | 12.4 |
| December 2024 | 12.9 | 12.3 |
| November 2024 | 11.4 | 11.8 |
| October 2024 | 11.1 | 12.1 |
| September 2024 | 9.2 | 12.2 |
How long patients have been waiting
Share of the 1,566 patients waiting at the end of August 2026, by how long they had waited so far. 64% had waited under 18 weeks; 14 had waited over a year.
Show the figures
| Waited | Patients | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 6 weeks | 344 | 22% |
| 6 to 12 weeks | 385 | 25% |
| 12 to 18 weeks | 276 | 18% |
| 18 to 26 weeks | 226 | 14% |
| 26 to 39 weeks | 225 | 14% |
| 39 to 52 weeks | 96 | 6% |
| 52 to 65 weeks | 14 | <1% |
| 65 to 78 weeks | 0 | 0% |
| 78 to 104 weeks | 0 | 0% |
| Over 104 weeks | 0 | 0% |
Patients treated in August 2026
- 237 patients started treatment without being admitted, or were discharged from the waiting list. Their median wait was 11.6 weeks.
- 267 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.
- Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS 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 Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust · Compare with another hospital · About the data