ShortestWait

NHS waiting times for May 2026

At the end of May 2026, 7.18 million people in England were waiting for consultant-led treatment. Half had waited less than 12.4 weeks, and 65.5% had waited under 18 weeks.

England May 2026 vs Apr 2026 vs May 2025
People waiting7,184,233 +60,253 −204,044
Median wait (weeks)12.4 +0.5 −1.1
92% within (weeks)38.6 −0.1 −3.9
Within 18 weeks65.5% +0.6 pts +4.6 pts
Waiting over a year105,697 +5,032 −93,893

Biggest changes since April 2026

Change in each provider's median wait across all specialties, among the 260 providers with at least 1,000 patients waiting in both months.

Shorter waits

  1. Spire Little Aston Hospital −5.6 wks now 8.6
  2. Nuffield Health, North Staffordshire Hospital −3.4 wks now 11.1
  3. Spire Cheshire Hospital −2.8 wks now 6.9
  4. Fitzwilliam Hospital −2.3 wks now 17.1
  5. Spire Liverpool Hospital −2.2 wks now 9.0
  6. Clifton Park Hospital −2.1 wks now 10.7
  7. Sirona Care & Health −1.6 wks now 7.3
  8. Spire Gatwick Park Hospital −1.6 wks now 9.9
  9. Oviva UK Ltd −1.4 wks now 9.3
  10. Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust −1.3 wks now 10.9

Longer waits

  1. Dmc Healthcare +3.4 wks now 7.1
  2. Southend Private Hospital +2.1 wks now 9.3
  3. Spire Hartswood Hospital +2.0 wks now 14.1
  4. Droitwich Spa Hospital +1.9 wks now 16.3
  5. Spire London East +1.9 wks now 15.4
  6. Spire Fylde Coast Hospital +1.8 wks now 13.1
  7. Fairfield Independent Hospital +1.8 wks now 14.2
  8. Spire Parkway Hospital +1.6 wks now 13.7
  9. Practice Plus Group Ophthalmology - North West +1.4 wks now 10.0
  10. Rivers Hospital +1.4 wks now 13.0

England by specialty

SpecialtyWaitingMedian waitvs Apr 2026Within 18 weeks
General surgery 382,013 13.3 wks +0.6 63%
Urology 378,952 12.8 wks +0.6 65%
Orthopaedics 835,954 14.2 wks +0.3 60%
Ear, nose and throat 595,204 14.8 wks +0.7 59%
Ophthalmology (eyes) 626,414 10.2 wks +0.5 74%
Oral surgery 322,030 16.0 wks +0.8 55%
Neurosurgery 57,463 13.6 wks +0.8 62%
Plastic surgery 103,367 14.6 wks +0.3 58%
Cardiothoracic surgery 9,177 10.6 wks +0.7 72%
General medicine 38,172 11.4 wks +0.6 71%
Gastroenterology 370,698 11.8 wks +0.7 69%
Cardiology (heart) 379,784 12.1 wks +0.7 68%
Dermatology (skin) 384,766 11.3 wks +0.1 67%
Respiratory medicine 191,385 10.3 wks +0.7 75%
Neurology 210,243 14.0 wks +0.5 61%
Rheumatology 118,229 11.0 wks +0.4 71%
Elderly medicine 26,569 7.8 wks +0.1 83%
Gynaecology 572,886 13.9 wks +0.6 61%
Other medical specialties 624,416 11.0 wks +0.6 71%
Other mental health 3,420 9.3 wks +0.6 82%
Other paediatric specialties 324,322 11.8 wks +0.6 68%
Other surgical specialties 469,136 11.9 wks +0.5 66%
Other services 159,633 8.9 wks +0.4 77%

Providers that did not report

These providers reported in April 2026 but not in May 2026. Usually this is a missed submission; sometimes a merger or a closed service.

Reporting for the first time