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County Durham and Darlington waiting times

55,102 people were waiting for planned treatment at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust at the end of September 2026. Half had waited more than 12.1 weeks, about the same as England's (12.2).

NHS waiting times · North East and North Cumbria · County Durham and Darlington

All specialties, September 2026

55,102

waiting

up 12,772 (30.2%) on a year earlier

12.1 wk

median wait

England 12.2

64.7%

under 18 weeks

England 65.9%

1,454

over a year

England 113,490

Waits by specialty

Every specialty with people waiting at County Durham and Darlington, beside England's median. Select a column heading to sort.

median wait, in weeks (scale 0 to 40)England's median for the same specialty

SpecialtyWaitingMedian wait, weeksAgainst England's medianUnder 18 weeksOver a year
All specialtiesEvery consultant-led specialty together55,10212.164.7%1,454
Trauma and orthopaedicsHip and knee replacements, shoulders, feet, hands and spines10,3827.277.0%168
Eyes (ophthalmology)Cataracts, glaucoma and other eye conditions3,37712.365.9%26
General surgeryHernias, gallbladders and other abdominal operations6,69713.360.0%262
GynaecologyHysterectomies, endometriosis, prolapse and other gynaecology5,37012.065.6%117
Ear, nose and throatTonsils, sinuses, ears and hearing3,99112.369.6%1
Oral surgeryWisdom teeth and other hospital dental surgery80414.559.7%0
Plastic surgeryReconstructive plastic surgery on the NHS, including hands and skin1,60911.465.7%56
DermatologySkin conditions6,15316.752.9%476
CardiologyHeart conditions1,3987.488.1%0
GastroenterologyStomach, bowel and liver conditions3,62515.955.8%105

The last 13 months

September 2025 to September 2026.

42,33055,102September 2025September 2026
People waiting at County Durham and Darlington, by monthLowest 40,851, highest 55,102. The scale starts near the lowest value.
The figures
MonthValue
September 202542,330
October 202542,308
November 202540,851
December 202541,453
January 202642,140
February 202642,312
March 202643,027
April 202652,788
May 202652,378
June 202653,479
July 202654,409
August 202654,410
September 202655,102
11.1 wk12.1 wkSeptember 2025September 2026
Median wait at County Durham and Darlington, weeksLowest 11.1 wk, highest 12.7 wk. The scale starts near the lowest value.
The figures
MonthValue
September 202511.1 wk
October 202511.3 wk
November 202511.1 wk
December 202512.0 wk
January 202612.6 wk
February 202612.7 wk
March 202611.7 wk
April 202611.5 wk
May 202612.2 wk
June 202611.7 wk
July 202611.6 wk
August 202612.3 wk
September 202612.1 wk
8.3 wk7.2 wkSeptember 2025September 2026
Orthopaedics median wait at County Durham and Darlington, weeksLowest 7.2 wk, highest 10.7 wk. The scale starts near the lowest value.
The figures
MonthValue
September 20258.3 wk
October 20258.1 wk
November 20258.5 wk
December 20259.6 wk
January 202610.6 wk
February 202610.7 wk
March 20269.9 wk
April 20269.2 wk
May 20269.8 wk
June 20269.0 wk
July 20267.7 wk
August 20267.4 wk
September 20267.2 wk
14.3 wk13.9 wkSeptember 2025September 2026
Orthopaedics median wait in England, weeksLowest 13.6 wk, highest 15.2 wk. The scale starts near the lowest value.
The figures
MonthValue
September 202514.3 wk
October 202514.4 wk
November 202514.3 wk
December 202514.7 wk
January 202615.2 wk
February 202615.0 wk
March 202614.5 wk
April 202613.9 wk
May 202614.2 wk
June 202613.8 wk
July 202613.6 wk
August 202613.9 wk
September 202613.9 wk

Waiting for an operation

A woman at her kitchen table reading a hospital appointment letter
Illustration

People admitted for orthopaedic treatment here in September 2026, which includes hip and knee replacements, had waited a median of 41.3 weeks from referral (England: 24.2).

People whose consultant has decided to admit them for treatment, usually an operation, and people admitted in September 2026 with how long they had waited.

SpecialtyWaiting to be admittedTheir median wait, weeksAdmitted for treatment this monthHalf had waited over, weeks92% within, weeks
All specialties7,88623.91,15010.557.7
Trauma and orthopaedics2,16127.414741.357.3
Eyes (ophthalmology)77525.47537.858.5
General surgery1,85726.82877.858.8
Gynaecology84428.58128.564.5
Ear, nose and throat30619.86125.549.1
Oral surgery12314.45111.846.9
Plastic surgery81317.71807.755.2
Dermatology63615.65213.670.9
Cardiology389.01610.828.7
Gastroenterology1337.11692.89.5

Other trusts in North East and North Cumbria

You can often choose where you're referred. These are the other NHS trusts in the same area.

TrustWaitingMedian wait, weeksOrthopaedics median, weeks
Gateshead Health11,3569.516.0
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals88,16010.212.7
North Cumbria Integrated Care35,39112.314.4
North Tees and Hartlepool24,28411.18.4
Northumbria Healthcare39,5599.612.5
South Tees Hospitals57,58712.512.2
South Tyneside and Sunderland60,4829.615.3

Use these figures

Free to quote and reuse, for journalists, researchers and AI agents. Please credit "Thera Travel, from NHS England data" and link to theratravel.co.uk/nhs-waiting-times. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: NHS England, Consultant-led Referral to Treatment Waiting Times. Open Government Licence v3.0.

This trust as JSON: /nhs-waiting-times/county-durham-and-darlington.json. NHS England organisation code RXP.

Source: NHS England, Referral to Treatment waiting times, September 2026 (published November 2026). Next figures expected 10 December 2026. Journalists: press page.

Questions

How long is the wait at County Durham and Darlington?

At the end of September 2026, 55,102 people were waiting for planned treatment at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust. Half had waited more than 12.1 weeks, against 12.2 weeks across England. 64.7% had waited under 18 weeks and 1,454 over a year. Source: NHS England.

How long is the orthopaedic wait at County Durham and Darlington?

In trauma and orthopaedics, which includes hip and knee replacements, 10,382 people were waiting at the end of September 2026, with a median wait so far of 7.2 weeks (England: 13.9). People admitted for treatment that month had waited a median of 41.3 weeks.

Where do these figures come from?

NHS England's referral-to-treatment statistics for September 2026, published November 2026. We update this page every month.

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