Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Waiting Times Across the NHS

The NHS Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) waiting list in England has 586,287 patients currently waiting for treatment, with a typical wait of around 14 weeks across 156 hospitals. In practice, Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) waiting times range from about 2 weeks at the fastest hospital to 29 weeks at the slowest. From GP referral to first Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) appointment, most patients (92%) are seen within about 37 weeks; the NHS constitutional target is 18 weeks. 15,441 patients have been on the Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) waiting list for more than a year. Waits for Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) are about 1.6 weeks shorter than in February 2025.

12-month change

Then vs now nationally

Feb 25→Feb 26
Typical wait
14weeks
â–¼ -1.6 wks
How long most people wait
Seen in 18 weeks
6in 10
â–² +2.3 pts
NHS aims to see everyone this fast
People waiting
586k
â–¼ -48k
On the waiting list right now
Waiting over a year
15k
â–¼ -11k
Been on the list for 12+ months
156
Hospitals you could choose from
14 weeks
How long most people wait
6 in 10
Seen within 18 weeks
15k
Have waited over a year

Common reasons for referral

Tonsil removal (tonsillectomy)
Grommets for glue ear
Hearing loss assessment
Sinus surgery
Nasal polyp removal
Sleep apnoea treatment
Deviated septum correction
Ear infections
Voice and swallowing problems

National trend

Average ear, nose & throat (ent) wait across England, month by month.

â–¼ -1.6 wks

All hospitals

Hospital Region Wait Within 18 Wks 52+ Wk
Hampshire And Isle Of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 2 wks
100.0%
-
Nuffield Health The Holly Hospital East of England East of England 3 wks
98.8%
1
Spire Cheshire Hospital North West North West 4 wks
98.5%
-
Spire Fylde Coast Hospital North West North West 4 wks
83.9%
-
Spire Harpenden Hospital East of England East of England 4 wks
100.0%
-
Euxton Hall Hospital North West North West 4 wks
93.9%
-
Droitwich Spa Hospital Midlands Midlands 4 wks
74.5%
-
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust London London 5 wks
83.6%
-
Nuffield Health Highgate Hospital London London 5 wks
85.8%
1
Practice Plus Group Hospital - Ilford London London 5 wks
82.9%
2
Beacon Medical Services Group Limited North West North West 5 wks
99.0%
-
Spire Bushey Hospital East of England East of England 5 wks
98.7%
-
Epsomedical Group South East South East 5 wks
91.0%
1
Spire Liverpool Hospital North West North West 6 wks
98.1%
-
Beardwood Hospital North West North West 6 wks
90.0%
-
Woodlands Hospital North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 6 wks
84.4%
-
Buckshaw Hospital North West North West 6 wks
82.6%
-
Practice Plus Group Surgical Centre - St Marys Portsmouth South East South East 6 wks
82.9%
-
Clementine Churchill Hospital London London 7 wks
98.5%
-
Inhealth Limited South East South East 7 wks
84.8%
-
Nuffield Health Parkside Hospital London London 7 wks
78.8%
1
Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 7 wks
75.2%
4
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust North West North West 7 wks
76.3%
16
The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 8 wks
68.3%
109
South Tyneside And Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 8 wks
79.6%
-
Fairfield Independent Hospital North West North West 8 wks
76.5%
2
Benenden Hospital South East South East 9 wks
69.6%
-
Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust London London 9 wks
68.1%
35
Communitas Clinics London London 9 wks
69.1%
25
Renacres Hospital North West North West 9 wks
67.3%
-
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 10 wks
72.6%
41
Tameside And Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 10 wks
75.6%
-
University Of Southampton Auditory Implant Service South East South East 10 wks
71.1%
7
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust South West South West 10 wks
74.7%
2
Spire Hull And East Riding Hospital North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 10 wks
57.7%
-
Springfield Hospital East of England East of England 11 wks
78.5%
1
Medway NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 11 wks
76.3%
31
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 11 wks
79.6%
10
Practice Plus Group Hospital - Emersons Green South West South West 11 wks
69.0%
-
Norfolk And Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 11 wks
67.8%
199
Airedale NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 11 wks
69.4%
4
East Cheshire NHS Trust North West North West 11 wks
68.3%
37
Harrogate And District NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 11 wks
75.0%
-
Sulis Hospital Bath (Foxcote Avenue) South West South West 12 wks
74.2%
-
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 12 wks
64.8%
108
Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 12 wks
66.2%
-
The Yorkshire Clinic North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 12 wks
67.9%
3
Beaumont Hospital North West North West 12 wks
74.8%
-
University Hospitals Of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 12 wks
63.4%
37
Dorking Healthcare Limited (Dhc) South East South East 12 wks
66.0%
3
Epsom And St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust London London 12 wks
64.2%
30
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 13 wks
63.5%
60
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust South West South West 13 wks
65.5%
9
University Hospitals Bristol And Weston NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 13 wks
63.9%
2
Claremont Private Hospital North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 13 wks
72.4%
-
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 13 wks
65.1%
-
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 13 wks
62.0%
39
Mersey And West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust North West North West 13 wks
61.9%
166
Oaks Hospital East of England East of England 13 wks
66.3%
-
Spencer Private Hospitals Ltd South East South East 13 wks
62.5%
1
County Durham And Darlington NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 14 wks
64.7%
2
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 14 wks
59.5%
69
St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust London London 14 wks
62.8%
-
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 14 wks
60.8%
4
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 14 wks
60.0%
19
Practice Plus Group Hospital - Shepton Mallet South West South West 14 wks
60.4%
4
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 14 wks
60.3%
150
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 14 wks
60.0%
79
Northern Lincolnshire And Goole NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 14 wks
58.7%
122
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 14 wks
60.1%
81
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 14 wks
59.6%
3
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 14 wks
58.8%
-
Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 14 wks
58.7%
-
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 15 wks
58.5%
1
Practice Plus Group Surgical Centre - Devizes South West South West 15 wks
57.3%
-
Calderdale And Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 15 wks
60.6%
10
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust London London 15 wks
60.0%
92
Rivers Hospital East of England East of England 15 wks
62.3%
-
Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 15 wks
58.7%
69
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust South East South East 15 wks
57.6%
16
East And North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust East of England East of England 15 wks
56.3%
48
Whittington Health NHS Trust London London 15 wks
60.6%
-
Omnes Healthcare Ltd North West North West 15 wks
59.5%
205
Barking, Havering And Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust London London 15 wks
58.0%
68
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 15 wks
56.5%
62
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust London London 15 wks
57.0%
323
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 15 wks
56.1%
247
East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust South East South East 15 wks
57.3%
23
Guy's And St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust London London 15 wks
56.6%
117
Torbay And South Devon NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 15 wks
55.6%
66
Surrey And Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust South East South East 15 wks
56.8%
87
The Shrewsbury And Telford Hospital NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 15 wks
58.3%
-
Wye Valley NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 15 wks
56.4%
63
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust London London 15 wks
56.0%
92
University Hospitals Of North Midlands NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 16 wks
52.8%
225
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 16 wks
55.5%
62
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 16 wks
54.9%
44
University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 16 wks
55.6%
44
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 16 wks
56.5%
22
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 16 wks
54.3%
-
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 16 wks
55.7%
195
Lewisham And Greenwich NHS Trust London London 16 wks
55.5%
238
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 16 wks
55.1%
130
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 16 wks
54.1%
13
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 16 wks
53.1%
153
The Hamptons Hospital Ltd East of England East of England 16 wks
52.9%
10
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 16 wks
53.5%
44
Maidstone And Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust South East South East 17 wks
53.7%
-
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 17 wks
53.3%
140
Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 17 wks
53.4%
132
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 17 wks
53.0%
119
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 17 wks
54.3%
144
University Hospitals Of Derby And Burton NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 17 wks
53.8%
161
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 17 wks
52.2%
60
Warrington And Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 17 wks
53.2%
36
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 17 wks
52.7%
162
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 17 wks
52.3%
217
Isle Of Wight NHS Trust South East South East 17 wks
50.8%
2
East Suffolk And North Essex NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 17 wks
51.4%
158
Kingston And Richmond NHS Foundation Trust London London 17 wks
51.6%
211
Ashford And St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 17 wks
51.0%
103
Chelsea And Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust London London 18 wks
50.7%
161
Doncaster And Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 18 wks
50.6%
158
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 18 wks
50.1%
53
Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 18 wks
50.0%
318
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 18 wks
49.8%
171
York And Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 18 wks
49.6%
233
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 18 wks
49.6%
380
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust South East South East 18 wks
49.5%
590
United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 18 wks
48.9%
67
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 18 wks
48.8%
287
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 18 wks
49.1%
115
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 19 wks
48.5%
161
Wrightington, Wigan And Leigh NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 19 wks
48.7%
173
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 19 wks
48.3%
262
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 19 wks
48.3%
195
University Hospitals Of Leicester NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 19 wks
48.0%
228
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 19 wks
47.4%
412
Countess Of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 20 wks
46.8%
187
Barts Health NHS Trust London London 20 wks
45.6%
274
Circle Reading Hospital South East South East 20 wks
48.3%
-
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 20 wks
45.6%
318
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 20 wks
44.9%
93
Practice Plus Group Hospital - Southampton South East South East 20 wks
44.3%
2
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 20 wks
44.7%
335
Sandwell And West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 21 wks
44.0%
188
West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust East of England East of England 21 wks
43.2%
158
University Hospitals Coventry And Warwickshire NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 22 wks
42.9%
324
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 22 wks
42.4%
193
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 23 wks
41.6%
52
London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust London London 23 wks
42.4%
492
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust London London 24 wks
40.8%
101
The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust London London 25 wks
38.3%
108
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 25 wks
36.5%
517
Mid And South Essex NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 27 wks
36.4%
1,920
The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust East of England East of England 29 wks
29.8%
281

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the NHS Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) waiting list?

The NHS Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) waiting list in England has about 586,287 patients currently waiting for treatment. The typical wait is around 14 weeks (just over 3 months), based on data from 156 hospitals. Waiting times vary significantly between hospitals, so it's worth comparing your options before accepting a referral.

How long will I wait to see an ENT specialist on the NHS?

The headline NHS waiting time is the wait from your GP's referral to your first outpatient appointment, which is the first time you actually see an ENT specialist. Nationally this currently averages about 14 weeks. In our data it ranges from as short as 2 weeks at the fastest hospital to 29 weeks at the slowest, so where you are referred matters. Any tests, procedures or treatment that follow that first appointment may have their own waits on top.

What percentage of Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) patients are seen within 18 weeks?

Across the NHS, 62% of Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) patients are currently seen within the 18-week target. The NHS constitutional standard is 92%.

Can I choose which hospital I'm referred to?

Yes. Under the NHS Constitution, patients in England have the right to choose which hospital they are referred to for a first outpatient appointment. You can use WaitRadar to compare waiting times and discuss your options with your GP.

Source: NHS England RTT statistics. about our methodology

This is informational data, not medical advice. Always discuss referral options with your GP. Full disclaimer.