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Royal Free London waiting times

133,429 people were waiting for planned treatment at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust at the end of September 2026. Half had waited more than 12.5 weeks, about the same as England's (12.2).

NHS waiting times · West and North London · Royal Free London

All specialties, September 2026

133,429

waiting

down 3,816 (2.8%) on a year earlier

12.5 wk

median wait

England 12.2

65.7%

under 18 weeks

England 65.9%

1,166

over a year

England 113,490

Waits by specialty

Every specialty with people waiting at Royal Free London, 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 together133,42912.565.7%1,166
Trauma and orthopaedicsHip and knee replacements, shoulders, feet, hands and spines9,43516.056.4%243
Eyes (ophthalmology)Cataracts, glaucoma and other eye conditions7,53112.267.2%2
General surgeryHernias, gallbladders and other abdominal operations4,17919.945.4%167
GynaecologyHysterectomies, endometriosis, prolapse and other gynaecology7,72212.865.6%50
Ear, nose and throatTonsils, sinuses, ears and hearing8,53516.554.6%115
UrologyProstate, kidney stones and bladder9,18712.962.6%102
Oral surgeryWisdom teeth and other hospital dental surgery5,07915.457.0%6
Plastic surgeryReconstructive plastic surgery on the NHS, including hands and skin3,13113.162.2%31
DermatologySkin conditions9,1419.282.5%3
CardiologyHeart conditions7,56211.967.7%13
GastroenterologyStomach, bowel and liver conditions9,20810.870.8%47

The last 13 months

September 2025 to September 2026.

137,245133,429September 2025September 2026
People waiting at Royal Free London, by monthLowest 133,390, highest 140,251. The scale starts near the lowest value.
The figures
MonthValue
September 2025137,245
October 2025137,180
November 2025136,986
December 2025138,721
January 2026140,251
February 2026139,987
March 2026133,390
April 2026136,968
May 2026139,283
June 2026139,530
July 2026139,727
August 2026137,947
September 2026133,429
14.2 wk12.5 wkSeptember 2025September 2026
Median wait at Royal Free London, weeksLowest 11.8 wk, highest 14.5 wk. The scale starts near the lowest value.
The figures
MonthValue
September 202514.2 wk
October 202514.5 wk
November 202514.4 wk
December 202514.4 wk
January 202614.5 wk
February 202613.8 wk
March 202611.8 wk
April 202612.6 wk
May 202613.3 wk
June 202613.2 wk
July 202613.1 wk
August 202613.2 wk
September 202612.5 wk
17.6 wk16.0 wkSeptember 2025September 2026
Orthopaedics median wait at Royal Free London, weeksLowest 16.0 wk, highest 20.0 wk. The scale starts near the lowest value.
The figures
MonthValue
September 202517.6 wk
October 202517.9 wk
November 202518.9 wk
December 202519.0 wk
January 202620.0 wk
February 202619.6 wk
March 202618.1 wk
April 202618.8 wk
May 202618.6 wk
June 202617.8 wk
July 202617.8 wk
August 202616.3 wk
September 202616.0 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 43.0 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 specialties12,73622.11,80922.457.1
Trauma and orthopaedics2,11526.022943.060.4
Eyes (ophthalmology)50814.415315.645.8
General surgery1,41934.312549.460.9
Gynaecology93720.118211.753.4
Ear, nose and throat73336.66340.865.0
Urology79914.41796.750.3
Oral surgery26728.84442.051.7
Plastic surgery1,38018.315024.650.0
Dermatology7257.810216.741.9
Cardiology17216.56719.140.5
Gastroenterology76112.45616.844.5

Other trusts in West and North London

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

TrustWaitingMedian wait, weeksOrthopaedics median, weeks
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital72,44311.915.7
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children8,46111.6
Hillingdon Hospitals32,69512.414.5
Imperial College Healthcare83,65811.213.6
London North West University Healthcare81,20512.115.8
Moorfields Eye Hospital41,9197.4
Royal Marsden1,7064.6
Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital10,9839.29.4
University College London Hospitals81,25311.89.1
Whittington Health22,34111.27.7

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/royal-free-london.json. NHS England organisation code RAL.

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 Royal Free London?

At the end of September 2026, 133,429 people were waiting for planned treatment at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. Half had waited more than 12.5 weeks, against 12.2 weeks across England. 65.7% had waited under 18 weeks and 1,166 over a year. Source: NHS England.

How long is the orthopaedic wait at Royal Free London?

In trauma and orthopaedics, which includes hip and knee replacements, 9,435 people were waiting at the end of September 2026, with a median wait so far of 16.0 weeks (England: 13.9). People admitted for treatment that month had waited a median of 43.0 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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