Neurosurgery waiting times by trust
Brain and spinal surgery. 53,384 people were waiting in England at the end of September 2026, with a median wait so far of 13.4 weeks. Every NHS trust, shortest median wait first.
NHS waiting times · Neurosurgery
England, September 2026
53,384
waiting in England
down 5,105 (8.7%) on a year earlier
13.4 wk
median wait so far
down 0.4 weeks on a year earlier
62.6%
under 18 weeks
16.0 wk
median wait of people admitted
in September 2026
Every NHS trust
24 trusts with at least 50 people waiting, shortest median wait first. Select a column heading to sort.
median wait, in weeks (scale 0 to 40)England's median for the same specialty
| Trust | Waiting | Median wait, weeks | Against England's median | Under 18 weeks | Over a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BristolBristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire | 1,286 | 9.6 | 74.3% | 1 | |
| South Tees HospitalsNorth East and North Cumbria | 976 | 10.4 | 72.0% | 7 | |
| Oxford University HospitalsThames Valley | 1,112 | 10.8 | 74.6% | 3 | |
| University Hospital SouthamptonHampshire and Isle of Wight | 1,137 | 10.9 | 71.2% | 9 | |
| University Hospitals of North MidlandsStaffordshire and Stoke-On-Trent | 662 | 11.0 | 64.4% | 17 | |
| Leeds Teaching HospitalsWest Yorkshire | 579 | 11.1 | 63.7% | 36 | |
| Barking, Havering and Redbridge University HospitalsNorth East London | 1,915 | 11.5 | 69.8% | 18 | |
| Newcastle upon Tyne HospitalsNorth East and North Cumbria | 1,485 | 11.6 | 72.1% | 26 | |
| Walton CentreCheshire and Merseyside | 3,729 | 11.7 | 64.7% | 60 | |
| University Hospitals SussexSurrey and Sussex | 560 | 12.5 | 63.0% | 7 | |
| King's College HospitalSouth East London | 2,900 | 12.7 | 66.5% | 27 | |
| University Hospitals of Derby and BurtonDerby and Derbyshire | 189 | 13.2 | 63.0% | 0 | |
| University College London HospitalsWest and North London | 3,648 | 13.3 | 63.3% | 39 | |
| Cambridge University HospitalsCentral East | 2,131 | 13.9 | 61.7% | 23 | |
| Lancashire Teaching HospitalsLancashire and South Cumbria | 3,642 | 14.0 | 62.9% | 0 | |
| University Hospitals BirminghamBirmingham and Solihull | 1,966 | 14.3 | 58.8% | 3 | |
| Imperial College HealthcareWest and North London | 2,678 | 14.4 | 61.7% | 5 | |
| Hull University Teaching HospitalsHumber and North Yorkshire | 3,979 | 14.6 | 58.3% | 118 | |
| St George's University HospitalsSouth West London | 3,824 | 15.0 | 58.0% | 12 | |
| University Hospitals Coventry and WarwickshireCoventry and Warwickshire | 4,367 | 16.1 | 55.5% | 127 | |
| Northern Care AllianceGreater Manchester | 4,451 | 17.2 | 52.0% | 166 | |
| University Hospitals of LeicesterLeicester, Leicestershire and Rutland | 162 | 17.2 | 52.5% | 1 | |
| Barts HealthNorth East London | 1,444 | 18.2 | 49.4% | 41 | |
| Mid and South EssexEssex | 50 | 29.0 | 28.0% | 8 |
The last 13 months in England
September 2025 to September 2026.
The figures
| Month | Value |
|---|---|
| September 2025 | 58,489 |
| October 2025 | 58,245 |
| November 2025 | 55,317 |
| December 2025 | 59,391 |
| January 2026 | 58,192 |
| February 2026 | 56,821 |
| March 2026 | 56,423 |
| April 2026 | 57,342 |
| May 2026 | 57,463 |
| June 2026 | 56,667 |
| July 2026 | 54,161 |
| August 2026 | 54,748 |
| September 2026 | 53,384 |
The figures
| Month | Value |
|---|---|
| September 2025 | 13.8 wk |
| October 2025 | 13.5 wk |
| November 2025 | 13.6 wk |
| December 2025 | 14.0 wk |
| January 2026 | 14.3 wk |
| February 2026 | 14.1 wk |
| March 2026 | 12.7 wk |
| April 2026 | 12.7 wk |
| May 2026 | 13.6 wk |
| June 2026 | 13.4 wk |
| July 2026 | 13.3 wk |
| August 2026 | 13.4 wk |
| September 2026 | 13.4 wk |
Independent hospitals on the NHS
Some independent hospitals treat NHS patients, free to the patient, and you may be able to choose one when you're referred. These are the 4 with the most NHS patients waiting for neurosurgery.
| Hospital or provider | NHS patients waiting | Median wait, weeks | Under 18 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| The One Health Group PlcSouth Yorkshire | 2,327 | 9.0 | 81.0% |
| Claremont Private HospitalSouth Yorkshire | 387 | 14.6 | 59.4% |
| Spire London EastNorth East London | 300 | 22.5 | 39.7% |
| Nuffield Health, Brentwood HospitalEssex | 250 | 13.0 | 57.2% |
By area
NHS integrated care board areas, by where the hospital trust is.
| Area | Waiting | Median wait, weeks | Under 18 weeks | Over a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham and Solihull | 1,967 | 14.3 | 58.8% | 3 |
| Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire | 1,286 | 9.6 | 74.3% | 1 |
| Central East | 2,192 | 13.7 | 62.2% | 23 |
| Cheshire and Merseyside | 3,789 | 11.8 | 64.4% | 62 |
| Coventry and Warwickshire | 4,566 | 15.5 | 57.2% | 127 |
| Derby and Derbyshire | 189 | 13.2 | 63.0% | 0 |
| Devon | 156 | 18.2 | 49.4% | 3 |
| Essex | 301 | 16.7 | 52.5% | 25 |
| Greater Manchester | 4,467 | 17.2 | 52.1% | 166 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 1,140 | 10.9 | 71.1% | 9 |
| Humber and North Yorkshire | 4,172 | 14.3 | 59.0% | 118 |
| Lancashire and South Cumbria | 3,740 | 13.9 | 63.0% | 0 |
| Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland | 162 | 17.2 | 52.5% | 1 |
| North East London | 3,692 | 14.8 | 59.6% | 64 |
| North East and North Cumbria | 2,536 | 11.0 | 72.1% | 33 |
| Northamptonshire | 97 | 3.6 | 93.8% | 1 |
| Nottingham and Nottinghamshire | 6 | 3.5 | 100.0% | 0 |
| South East London | 2,909 | 12.7 | 66.5% | 27 |
| South West London | 3,860 | 14.9 | 58.1% | 13 |
| South Yorkshire | 2,831 | 9.8 | 76.3% | 47 |
| Staffordshire and Stoke-On-Trent | 662 | 11.0 | 64.4% | 17 |
| Surrey and Sussex | 630 | 11.9 | 66.0% | 7 |
| Thames Valley | 1,112 | 10.8 | 74.6% | 3 |
| West Yorkshire | 596 | 11.0 | 64.4% | 36 |
| West and North London | 6,326 | 13.7 | 62.6% | 44 |
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.
- All figures as JSON (England, every specialty, area and trust)
- All figures as CSV (one row per hospital trust or provider and specialty)
- A plain-text summary in Markdown, for AI assistants
- One trust:
/nhs-waiting-times/<trust>.json, the trust list is in the JSON above
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 NHS wait for neurosurgery?
At the end of September 2026, 53,384 people were waiting for neurosurgery in England. Half had waited more than 13.4 weeks so far, 62.6% under 18 weeks and 830 over a year. People admitted for treatment that month had waited a median of 16.0 weeks. Source: NHS England.
Which hospital trusts have the shortest neurosurgery waits?
In September 2026, the shortest median waits among trusts with at least 50 people waiting were at Bristol (9.6 weeks), South Tees Hospitals (10.4 weeks), Oxford University Hospitals (10.8 weeks). The table on this page lists every trust.
Can I choose a hospital with a shorter wait?
The NHS says you should be offered a choice at the point of referral, and in many cases you can choose the hospital or service, including some independent hospitals that treat NHS patients. See "Your choices in the NHS" and ask your GP.
Looking at treatment abroad as well?
If you're weighing up treatment abroad, tell us what you're looking into. We send your enquiry to relevant, pre-vetted clinics, and up to 3 that can help contact you directly.
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