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Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals waiting times

66,157 people were waiting for planned treatment at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust at the end of September 2026. Half had waited more than 14.3 weeks, 2.1 weeks longer than England's (12.2).

NHS waiting times · Black Country · Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals

All specialties, September 2026

66,157

waiting

down 367 (0.6%) on a year earlier

14.3 wk

median wait

England 12.2

60.6%

under 18 weeks

England 65.9%

611

over a year

England 113,490

Waits by specialty

Every specialty with people waiting at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals, 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 together66,15714.360.6%611
Trauma and orthopaedicsHip and knee replacements, shoulders, feet, hands and spines5,87314.759.4%17
Eyes (ophthalmology)Cataracts, glaucoma and other eye conditions7,5808.780.3%6
General surgeryHernias, gallbladders and other abdominal operations4,58312.965.3%30
GynaecologyHysterectomies, endometriosis, prolapse and other gynaecology5,22415.558.1%11
Ear, nose and throatTonsils, sinuses, ears and hearing7,09723.838.7%268
UrologyProstate, kidney stones and bladder3,77715.756.9%4
Oral surgeryWisdom teeth and other hospital dental surgery1,03720.847.3%20
Plastic surgeryReconstructive plastic surgery on the NHS, including hands and skin64513.961.9%1
DermatologySkin conditions3,73416.355.1%8
CardiologyHeart conditions4,99117.551.2%43
GastroenterologyStomach, bowel and liver conditions2,15012.168.9%19

The last 13 months

September 2025 to September 2026.

66,52466,157September 2025September 2026
People waiting at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals, by monthLowest 64,236, highest 67,619. The scale starts near the lowest value.
The figures
MonthValue
September 202566,524
October 202564,755
November 202567,619
December 202565,725
January 202664,236
February 202666,872
March 202665,757
April 202665,630
May 202666,145
June 202666,744
July 202667,233
August 202667,228
September 202666,157
14.9 wk14.3 wkSeptember 2025September 2026
Median wait at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals, weeksLowest 12.7 wk, highest 15.7 wk. The scale starts near the lowest value.
The figures
MonthValue
September 202514.9 wk
October 202515.3 wk
November 202514.4 wk
December 202514.7 wk
January 202615.7 wk
February 202614.9 wk
March 202612.7 wk
April 202612.9 wk
May 202613.9 wk
June 202614.0 wk
July 202613.9 wk
August 202614.4 wk
September 202614.3 wk
14.4 wk14.7 wkSeptember 2025September 2026
Orthopaedics median wait at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals, weeksLowest 12.7 wk, highest 15.3 wk. The scale starts near the lowest value.
The figures
MonthValue
September 202514.4 wk
October 202514.6 wk
November 202514.2 wk
December 202514.7 wk
January 202614.8 wk
February 202615.0 wk
March 202612.8 wk
April 202612.7 wk
May 202613.7 wk
June 202614.5 wk
July 202614.3 wk
August 202615.3 wk
September 202614.7 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 25.2 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 specialties8,29716.43,0058.748.1
Trauma and orthopaedics1,80425.818625.248.9
Eyes (ophthalmology)1,33913.857710.441.1
General surgery45824.425610.844.2
Gynaecology46714.81396.244.9
Ear, nose and throat20619.25814.058.2
Urology3527.51877.435.0
Oral surgery41525.47716.448.8
Plastic surgery24516.97519.536.0
Dermatology2114.52075.524.4
Cardiology1739.61182.517.6
Gastroenterology3613.5388.617.0

Other trusts in Black Country

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

TrustWaitingMedian wait, weeksOrthopaedics median, weeks
Dudley Group49,16712.713.6
Royal Wolverhampton71,50912.510.6
Walsall Healthcare29,47510.111.3

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/sandwell-and-west-birmingham-hospitals.json. NHS England organisation code RXK.

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 Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals?

At the end of September 2026, 66,157 people were waiting for planned treatment at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust. Half had waited more than 14.3 weeks, against 12.2 weeks across England. 60.6% had waited under 18 weeks and 611 over a year. Source: NHS England.

How long is the orthopaedic wait at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals?

In trauma and orthopaedics, which includes hip and knee replacements, 5,873 people were waiting at the end of September 2026, with a median wait so far of 14.7 weeks (England: 13.9). People admitted for treatment that month had waited a median of 25.2 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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