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North Cheshire and Mersey waiting times

35,314 people were waiting for planned treatment at North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust at the end of September 2026. Half had waited more than 12.7 weeks, 0.5 weeks longer than England's (12.2).

NHS waiting times · Cheshire and Merseyside · North Cheshire and Mersey

All specialties, September 2026

35,314

waiting

up 2,832 (8.7%) on a year earlier

12.7 wk

median wait

England 12.2

65.9%

under 18 weeks

England 65.9%

379

over a year

England 113,490

Waits by specialty

Every specialty with people waiting at North Cheshire and Mersey, 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 together35,31412.765.9%379
Trauma and orthopaedicsHip and knee replacements, shoulders, feet, hands and spines3,42116.952.7%84
Eyes (ophthalmology)Cataracts, glaucoma and other eye conditions2,8758.582.9%1
General surgeryHernias, gallbladders and other abdominal operations73411.875.7%6
GynaecologyHysterectomies, endometriosis, prolapse and other gynaecology3,88913.263.0%53
Ear, nose and throatTonsils, sinuses, ears and hearing3,74016.453.5%65
UrologyProstate, kidney stones and bladder2,07310.973.3%22
CardiologyHeart conditions1,5848.184.8%2
GastroenterologyStomach, bowel and liver conditions3,13711.676.8%5

The last 13 months

September 2025 to September 2026.

32,48235,314September 2025September 2026
People waiting at North Cheshire and Mersey, by monthLowest 32,482, highest 35,458. The scale starts near the lowest value.
The figures
MonthValue
September 202532,482
October 202532,754
November 202532,613
December 202533,189
January 202633,269
February 202633,711
March 202633,132
April 202633,663
May 202633,932
June 202634,815
July 202635,330
August 202635,458
September 202635,314
14.2 wk12.7 wkSeptember 2025September 2026
Median wait at North Cheshire and Mersey, weeksLowest 11.7 wk, highest 14.2 wk. The scale starts near the lowest value.
The figures
MonthValue
September 202514.2 wk
October 202514.0 wk
November 202513.9 wk
December 202513.7 wk
January 202613.8 wk
February 202613.3 wk
March 202611.7 wk
April 202612.3 wk
May 202613.1 wk
June 202612.9 wk
July 202612.4 wk
August 202612.5 wk
September 202612.7 wk
20.1 wk16.9 wkSeptember 2025September 2026
Orthopaedics median wait at North Cheshire and Mersey, weeksLowest 16.5 wk, highest 20.2 wk. The scale starts near the lowest value.
The figures
MonthValue
September 202520.1 wk
October 202520.2 wk
November 202519.8 wk
December 202519.7 wk
January 202619.9 wk
February 202619.0 wk
March 202618.8 wk
April 202619.1 wk
May 202618.2 wk
June 202617.5 wk
July 202616.5 wk
August 202617.3 wk
September 202616.9 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 34.5 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 specialties3,95017.689316.355.2
Trauma and orthopaedics1,11818.117734.559.7
Eyes (ophthalmology)70311.318615.035.6
General surgery27116.57817.852.6
Gynaecology34628.38813.559.0
Ear, nose and throat40824.03520.561.2
Urology44220.95319.550.8
Cardiology911.557.212.6
Gastroenterology4110.33611.752.1

Other trusts in Cheshire and Merseyside

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

TrustWaitingMedian wait, weeksOrthopaedics median, weeks
Alder Hey Children's17,11612.3
Clatterbridge Cancer Centre8066.6
Countess of Chester Hospital31,49011.511.7
East Cheshire15,63813.414.0
Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital5,1767.9
Liverpool University Hospitals62,79413.115.5
Liverpool Women's11,19412.7
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals86,20112.19.7
Mid Cheshire Hospitals31,45711.114.9
Walton Centre14,70311.1
Wirral University Teaching Hospital43,45011.914.1

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/north-cheshire-and-mersey.json. NHS England organisation code RWW.

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 North Cheshire and Mersey?

At the end of September 2026, 35,314 people were waiting for planned treatment at North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust. Half had waited more than 12.7 weeks, against 12.2 weeks across England. 65.9% had waited under 18 weeks and 379 over a year. Source: NHS England.

How long is the orthopaedic wait at North Cheshire and Mersey?

In trauma and orthopaedics, which includes hip and knee replacements, 3,421 people were waiting at the end of September 2026, with a median wait so far of 16.9 weeks (England: 13.9). People admitted for treatment that month had waited a median of 34.5 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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