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

The NHS Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) waiting list in England has 588,229 patients currently waiting for treatment, with a typical wait of around 13 weeks across 159 hospitals. In practice, Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) waiting times range from about 1 weeks at the fastest hospital to 36 weeks at the slowest. From GP referral to first Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) appointment, most patients (92%) are seen within about 36 weeks; the NHS constitutional target is 18 weeks. 12,762 patients have been on the Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) waiting list for more than a year. Waits for Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) are about 2.2 weeks shorter than in April 2025.

12-month change

Then vs now nationally

Apr 25→Apr 26
Typical wait
13.1weeks
â–¼ -2.2 wks
How long most people wait
Seen in 18 weeks
6in 10
â–² +4.1 pts
NHS aims to see everyone this fast
People waiting
588k
â–¼ -51k
On the waiting list right now
Waiting over a year
13k
â–¼ -14k
Been on the list for 12+ months
159
Hospitals you could choose from
13 weeks
How long most people wait
6 in 10
Seen within 18 weeks
13k
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 -2.2 wks

All hospitals

Hospital Region Wait Within 18 Wks 52+ Wk
Hampshire And Isle Of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 1 wks
100.0%
-
Kims Hospital (Newnham Court) South East South East 2 wks
91.3%
-
Spire Cheshire Hospital North West North West 2 wks
96.7%
-
Spire Harpenden Hospital East of England East of England 3 wks
100.0%
-
Droitwich Spa Hospital Midlands Midlands 3 wks
86.2%
-
Nuffield Health The Holly Hospital East of England East of England 3 wks
96.7%
1
Epsomedical Group South East South East 4 wks
92.1%
1
Spire Fylde Coast Hospital North West North West 4 wks
90.2%
-
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust London London 5 wks
85.4%
1
Spire Liverpool Hospital North West North West 5 wks
96.8%
-
Benenden Hospital South East South East 6 wks
82.6%
-
Beacon Medical Services Group Limited North West North West 6 wks
99.6%
-
Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 6 wks
85.2%
2
Woodlands Hospital North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 6 wks
82.7%
-
Practice Plus Group Surgical Centre - St Marys Portsmouth South East South East 6 wks
90.5%
-
Nuffield Health Highgate Hospital London London 6 wks
89.7%
-
Buckshaw Hospital North West North West 7 wks
84.8%
-
Spire Bushey Hospital East of England East of England 7 wks
97.3%
-
Practice Plus Group Hospital - Ilford London London 7 wks
72.1%
-
Fairfield Independent Hospital North West North West 7 wks
80.6%
1
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust North West North West 8 wks
78.3%
-
South Tyneside And Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 8 wks
82.0%
-
Nuffield Health, Tees Hospital North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 8 wks
100.0%
-
Nuffield Health Parkside Hospital London London 8 wks
80.7%
1
Beardwood Hospital North West North West 8 wks
93.7%
-
The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 8 wks
71.5%
94
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust South West South West 9 wks
77.6%
2
Clementine Churchill Hospital London London 9 wks
95.6%
-
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 9 wks
75.7%
23
University Hospitals Of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 10 wks
72.0%
45
Inhealth Limited South East South East 10 wks
80.5%
-
Medway NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 10 wks
83.3%
-
Practice Plus Group Hospital - Emersons Green South West South West 10 wks
81.0%
-
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 10 wks
82.0%
13
Communitas Clinics London London 10 wks
70.1%
27
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 11 wks
71.2%
26
Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust London London 11 wks
72.4%
37
Norfolk And Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 11 wks
70.8%
104
Euxton Hall Hospital North West North West 11 wks
88.0%
-
Epsom And St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust London London 11 wks
70.6%
11
County Durham And Darlington NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 11 wks
73.1%
-
University Of Southampton Auditory Implant Service South East South East 11 wks
65.0%
7
Dorking Healthcare Limited (Dhc) South East South East 11 wks
66.2%
1
Tameside And Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 11 wks
70.2%
-
Harrogate And District NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 11 wks
72.9%
-
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust South West South West 11 wks
70.4%
12
Whittington Health NHS Trust London London 11 wks
76.6%
-
Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 11 wks
68.6%
4
Springfield Hospital East of England East of England 11 wks
74.9%
-
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 11 wks
66.2%
61
University Hospitals Bristol And Weston NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 11 wks
66.5%
3
Spencer Private Hospitals Ltd South East South East 12 wks
64.8%
1
The Shrewsbury And Telford Hospital NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 12 wks
66.8%
-
Countess Of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 12 wks
65.7%
14
The Yorkshire Clinic North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 12 wks
68.3%
-
Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 12 wks
64.0%
61
Northern Lincolnshire And Goole NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 12 wks
63.2%
138
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 12 wks
64.2%
1
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 12 wks
65.0%
38
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 12 wks
67.3%
20
Airedale NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 12 wks
67.3%
2
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 12 wks
63.2%
121
Mersey And West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust North West North West 12 wks
66.4%
90
Maidstone And Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust South East South East 12 wks
64.7%
-
The Hamptons Hospital Ltd East of England East of England 12 wks
62.2%
1
St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust London London 12 wks
64.9%
1
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 12 wks
63.7%
125
Wye Valley NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 13 wks
62.4%
12
Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 13 wks
73.0%
-
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 13 wks
65.1%
35
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 13 wks
64.1%
2
University Hospitals Of North Midlands NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 13 wks
60.0%
168
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 13 wks
63.5%
5
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 13 wks
62.7%
1
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 13 wks
62.3%
17
Barking, Havering And Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust London London 13 wks
65.1%
65
Claremont Private Hospital North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 13 wks
60.9%
1
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 13 wks
61.5%
-
Beaumont Hospital North West North West 13 wks
61.6%
-
East Cheshire NHS Trust North West North West 13 wks
61.6%
42
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 13 wks
61.1%
53
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 13 wks
60.7%
1
Ashford And St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 14 wks
58.5%
114
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 14 wks
59.6%
28
Surrey And Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust South East South East 14 wks
60.1%
127
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 14 wks
60.3%
-
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 14 wks
59.4%
222
East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust South East South East 14 wks
59.6%
7
Practice Plus Group Surgical Centre - Devizes South West South West 14 wks
58.6%
-
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust London London 14 wks
59.8%
313
East And North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust East of England East of England 14 wks
58.7%
55
Calderdale And Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 14 wks
60.7%
-
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust South East South East 14 wks
58.4%
-
North Cheshire And Mersey NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 14 wks
57.7%
12
Kingston And Richmond NHS Foundation Trust London London 14 wks
59.0%
161
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 14 wks
59.6%
55
Rivers Hospital East of England East of England 14 wks
64.7%
-
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 14 wks
57.9%
156
Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 14 wks
58.9%
38
Sulis Hospital Bath (Foxcote Avenue) South West South West 14 wks
66.2%
-
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust London London 14 wks
58.9%
14
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 14 wks
57.9%
49
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 14 wks
57.8%
192
Isle Of Wight NHS Trust South East South East 14 wks
54.9%
-
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 14 wks
59.7%
110
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust London London 14 wks
57.3%
107
Oaks Hospital East of England East of England 14 wks
55.9%
-
University Hospitals Of Derby And Burton NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 15 wks
56.7%
101
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 15 wks
57.6%
97
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 15 wks
59.7%
21
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 15 wks
57.7%
360
The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust East of England East of England 15 wks
55.2%
84
University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 15 wks
58.0%
5
Guy's And St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust London London 15 wks
55.1%
76
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 15 wks
56.0%
132
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 15 wks
56.1%
32
Chelsea And Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust London London 15 wks
55.5%
151
East Suffolk And North Essex NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 15 wks
55.0%
1
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 15 wks
55.9%
40
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 15 wks
54.9%
38
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 15 wks
54.1%
101
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 16 wks
54.2%
43
York And Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 16 wks
52.7%
140
Circle Reading Hospital South East South East 16 wks
50.0%
-
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 16 wks
53.4%
48
Omnes Healthcare Ltd North West North West 16 wks
57.5%
202
Practice Plus Group Hospital - Southampton South East South East 16 wks
53.5%
5
Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 16 wks
53.8%
255
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust South East South East 16 wks
52.3%
537
Lewisham And Greenwich NHS Trust London London 16 wks
51.8%
200
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 16 wks
51.8%
144
Practice Plus Group Hospital - Shepton Mallet South West South West 16 wks
53.7%
2
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 17 wks
52.3%
8
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 17 wks
50.8%
248
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 17 wks
50.6%
170
University Hospitals Of Leicester NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 18 wks
50.5%
251
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 18 wks
50.5%
95
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 18 wks
50.2%
76
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 18 wks
49.9%
131
Wrightington, Wigan And Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 18 wks
49.8%
206
Doncaster And Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 18 wks
49.5%
154
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 18 wks
49.4%
169
Renacres Hospital North West North West 18 wks
46.8%
-
United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 18 wks
49.0%
81
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 19 wks
48.5%
282
Barts Health NHS Trust London London 20 wks
46.0%
147
Sandwell And West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 20 wks
45.8%
92
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 20 wks
46.7%
382
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust London London 20 wks
45.7%
96
The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust London London 20 wks
45.1%
93
London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust London London 21 wks
44.8%
487
West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust East of England East of England 22 wks
43.7%
194
University Hospitals Coventry And Warwickshire NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 22 wks
42.5%
321
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 23 wks
40.7%
76
Spire Hull And East Riding Hospital North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 23 wks
45.2%
-
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 23 wks
39.9%
496
Nuffield Health, Brentwood Hospital East of England East of England 25 wks
41.4%
105
Mid And South Essex NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 27 wks
36.6%
2,332
Modality Llp Midlands Midlands 36 wks
0.0%
3

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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 588,229 patients currently waiting for treatment. The typical wait is around 13 weeks (3 months), based on data from 159 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 13 weeks. In our data it ranges from as short as 1 weeks at the fastest hospital to 36 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, 64% 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.