NHS knee replacement waiting time (2026)

The latest figure and your options

By Saher Shodhan·Updated 9 November 2026·All guides

Home › Guides › NHS knee replacement waiting time (2026): the latest figure and your options

The latest NHS England figures, for August 2026 (published 8 Oct 2026), put the median wait for trauma and orthopaedic treatment, which includes knee replacements, at about 14 weeks (13.8) [2]. Of the 843,419 people waiting, 61.1% had waited under 18 weeks [1]. NHS England publishes no monthly figure for knee replacements alone.

Last checked 9 Nov 2026: the August 2026 figures are still the latest NHS England has published, and the September figures are due on 12 Nov 2026 [3]. Written by Saher Shodhan. Every waiting time on this page comes from NHS England's August 2026 data, published on 8 Oct 2026, unless the sentence gives another source and date. Prices were checked against the provider's own page on the date shown. Sources are numbered at the end.

NHS knee replacement waiting time: the latest figure

NHS England counts the time from referral to the start of treatment, and publishes it each month by specialty. Knee replacements are counted under Trauma and Orthopaedics. These are the latest published figures, for the end of August 2026:

Measure, Trauma and Orthopaedics, England	August 2026
People waiting to start treatment	843,419
Waited under 18 weeks	61.1% (the NHS standard is 92%)
Median wait (half waited less, half waited more)	13.8 weeks
92 in 100 had waited less than	41.7 weeks
Waiting more than 52 weeks	19,741

NHS England, referral to treatment waiting times, August 2026, published 8 Oct 2026 [1] [2]. The figures leave out 4 trusts that sent no data for August 2026: Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, Torbay and South Devon, University Hospitals Plymouth and Northampton General Hospital [1].

Comparing options for your own treatment? Ask us, free →

Is there a figure for knee replacements alone?

Not in the monthly statistics. The most recent figure we found for knee replacements alone is older: in a written answer to Parliament on 24 Feb 2025, the government said 49,509 patients were waiting for a knee replacement and the mean wait was 28.7 weeks [4]. Treat it as a February 2025 figure, not today's.

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What the NHS promises

The NHS says: "The maximum waiting time for non-urgent, consultant-led treatments is 18 weeks" from referral [5]. In August 2026, 61.1% of trauma and orthopaedic patients in England were within that time [1]. The standard is that 92% should be [1].

The clock starts "from when the hospital or service receives your referral letter, or when you book your first appointment through the NHS e-Referral Service" [5].

How to check your own hospital's wait

The national figure is an average across England. Your own wait depends on your hospital. My Planned Care, an NHS website, shows average waits by hospital and specialty. It says the site "is updated weekly and can be viewed by anyone" [6].

Go to myplannedcare.nhs.uk and choose your region, or search by postcode.
Pick your hospital, then the specialty you were referred to. For a knee replacement this is usually Orthopaedics or Trauma and Orthopaedics.
Read two numbers: the average wait for a first outpatient appointment, and the average wait for treatment.

As an example, the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore showed an average wait of 15 weeks for orthopaedic treatment, with 8 in 10 patients treated within 25 weeks, on its My Planned Care page updated 30 Oct 2026 [7]. Your hospital's figures will differ. My Planned Care says the average is "the average (mean) wait of all patients in this specialty" at that hospital [7]. You can also compare NHS waiting times by hospital trust.

Your right to choose where you are treated

In England, the NHS says: "If a GP needs to refer you for a physical or mental health condition, in most cases you have the legal right to choose the hospital or service you'd like to go to" [8]. That choice can include "many private hospitals if they provide services to the NHS" [8]. The treatment is still NHS-funded.

If you are already waiting, the NHS says: "You have the legal right to ask for your appointment to be moved to a different provider if you're likely to wait longer than the maximum waiting time" [8]. The hospital or integrated care board (ICB) then has to offer you other hospitals that could see you sooner [8].

In practice: check My Planned Care for nearby hospitals with shorter waits, then ask your GP, or the hospital you were referred to, about moving.

Options if the wait is long

Stay on the NHS list, and ask about choice. NHS treatment is free. You can ask to move if you are likely to wait more than 18 weeks [5] [8].
Pay for it yourself in the UK. On the providers' own pages, a total knee replacement is £13,799 at Practice Plus Group (checked 31 Oct 2026) [9], and Nuffield Health's UK average guide price is £16,914 (checked 30 Oct 2026) [10]. Our guide to knee replacement cost in the UK compares each hospital's price and what it covers.
Have it abroad. Our guide to the countries UK patients choose for a knee replacement sets out the checks, and the hip and knee price list shows each hospital's own published price.

If you are on the NHS list, you do not have to come off it to look at other options. Ask your GP before you make any change to your NHS referral.

When this may not be right for you

If your hospital's wait on My Planned Care is short, NHS treatment costs nothing and keeps your surgeon and follow-up close to home. If you go abroad, any follow-up in the UK needs planning before you go. The NHS says you "should discuss your plans with a GP before making any final decisions about travel or medical arrangements" [11].

How to check a clinic before you book

If you are weighing a clinic abroad, these checks matter more than the country you choose:

The clinic's register entry. Find the clinic on its country's official register of healthcare providers, under the legal name printed on your quote.
The surgeon, by name. Ask for your surgeon's name in writing and look them up on their professional register.
The reviews, including the low-rated ones. Check which Google listing is the actual hospital, then read what knee patients say, good and bad.
An itemised quote. Get it in writing: the implant, the hospital nights, physiotherapy, and what is not included.
A plan for problems at home. Ask what happens if something goes wrong once you are back in the UK, and who pays.

Our 15 questions to ask a hospital abroad give you the wording. Our guide to travel insurance for surgery abroad covers what standard policies leave out.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the NHS waiting list for a knee replacement?

NHS England does not publish a monthly figure for knee replacements alone. In August 2026, 843,419 people were waiting for trauma and orthopaedic treatment in England, which includes knee replacements, and 61.1% had waited under 18 weeks [1]. A February 2025 answer to Parliament put the knee replacement list at 49,509 patients [4].

What is the NHS waiting time for a knee replacement in 2026?

The latest published figure is for August 2026: the median wait for trauma and orthopaedic treatment in England was 13.8 weeks, and 92 in 100 patients had waited less than 41.7 weeks [2]. Your own hospital's wait can be very different, so check it on My Planned Care [6].

Can I move to a hospital with a shorter wait?

In most cases, yes. The NHS says you have the legal right to ask to move to a different provider if you are likely to wait longer than the maximum waiting time, which is 18 weeks for non-urgent consultant-led treatment [5] [8]. Ask your GP or the hospital you were referred to.

Sources

NHS England, referral to treatment waiting times, August 2026, statistical press notice: table 1, Trauma and Orthopaedic Service, 843,419 waiting, 61.1% within 18 weeks; 92% standard; 4 trusts sent no data. Published 8 Oct 2026.
NHS England, incomplete pathways by commissioner, August 2026, national sheet, Trauma and Orthopaedic Service: median wait 13.8 weeks, 92nd percentile 41.7 weeks, 19,741 waiting more than 52 weeks (medians are estimates from grouped data). Published 8 Oct 2026.
NHS England on GOV.UK, statistics announcement, RTT waiting times for September 2026: release date 12 Nov 2026 (provisional). Checked 31 Oct 2026.
UK Parliament, written question HL4889: 49,509 waiting for a knee replacement, mean wait 28.7 weeks. Answered 24 Feb 2025.
NHS, Guide to NHS waiting times in England. Read 31 Oct 2026.
NHS, My Planned Care. Read 31 Oct 2026.
My Planned Care, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust: Orthopaedics, average wait for treatment 15 weeks, 8 in 10 within 25 weeks. Page updated 30 Oct 2026. Read 31 Oct 2026.
NHS, Your choices in the NHS. Read 31 Oct 2026.
Practice Plus Group, private patient prices: knee replacement surgery £13,799; initial consultation £145. Checked 31 Oct 2026.
Nuffield Health, knee replacement: average guide price £16,914. Checked 30 Oct 2026.
NHS, Going abroad for medical treatment. Read 31 Oct 2026.

This guide is general information, not medical advice.

Clinics UK patients look at

The four with the most Google reviews among the orthopaedic clinics we hold. Each has a free page with its records.

Apollo Hospitals, Greams Road, ChennaiChennai, India

KIMS-Sunshine Hospitals, BegumpetHyderabad (Begumpet), India

Yashoda Hospitals, SomajigudaHyderabad (Somajiguda, Raj Bhavan Road), India

Yashoda Hospitals, MalakpetHyderabad (Malakpet, Nalgonda X Roads), India

Written by Saher Shodhan

Saher Shodhan is the founder of Thera Travel, which publishes what the official records show about clinics abroad, each fact with the date it was checked, and answers patients' enquiries, free. More about Thera → How we write and check our guides →