Plastic Surgery Waiting Times Across the NHS

The NHS Plastic Surgery waiting list in England has 102,538 patients currently waiting for treatment, with a typical wait of around 15 weeks across 93 hospitals. In practice, Plastic Surgery waiting times range from about 3 weeks at the fastest hospital to 32 weeks at the slowest. From GP referral to first Plastic Surgery appointment, most patients (92%) are seen within about 38 weeks; the NHS constitutional target is 18 weeks. 3,013 patients have been on the Plastic Surgery waiting list for more than a year. Waits for Plastic Surgery haven't really changed since February 2025.

12-month change

Then vs now nationally

Feb 25→Feb 26
Typical wait
14.8weeks
â–¼ -0.4 wks
How long most people wait
Seen in 18 weeks
6in 10
â–² +0.9 pts
NHS aims to see everyone this fast
People waiting
103k
â–¼ -180
On the waiting list right now
Waiting over a year
3k
â–¼ -782
Been on the list for 12+ months
93
Hospitals you could choose from
15 weeks
How long most people wait
6 in 10
Seen within 18 weeks
3k
Have waited over a year

Common reasons for referral

Skin cancer removal and reconstruction
Breast reconstruction
Hand surgery
Scar revision
Burns treatment
Skin graft surgery
Dupuytren's contracture release
Prominent ear correction

National trend

Average plastic surgery wait across England, month by month.

â–¼ -0.4 wks

All hospitals

Hospital Region Wait Within 18 Wks 52+ Wk
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 3 wks
95.8%
-
Spire Thames Valley Hospital South East South East 4 wks
76.5%
1
Cotswolds Surgical Partners South West South West 4 wks
97.2%
-
University Hospitals Of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 4 wks
93.9%
-
East Cheshire NHS Trust North West North West 4 wks
94.9%
-
Tees Valley Hospital North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 4 wks
93.0%
-
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 5 wks
83.2%
1
Somerset Surgical Services HQ South West South West 7 wks
94.9%
-
Airedale NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 8 wks
89.6%
-
Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 8 wks
90.1%
-
East And North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust East of England East of England 8 wks
71.8%
15
North Downs Hospital South East South East 8 wks
65.0%
-
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust London London 8 wks
82.5%
-
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 8 wks
79.0%
1
Kingston And Richmond NHS Foundation Trust London London 10 wks
78.7%
-
University Hospitals Of Derby And Burton NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 10 wks
70.5%
7
Spire Cheshire Hospital North West North West 11 wks
83.1%
-
Exeter Medical South West South West 11 wks
77.8%
-
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust South West South West 11 wks
64.8%
8
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 11 wks
65.6%
10
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 11 wks
70.8%
-
Tyneside Surgical Services Ltd North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 11 wks
74.3%
1
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 11 wks
76.9%
-
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 11 wks
71.4%
18
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 11 wks
74.3%
-
St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust London London 11 wks
66.0%
4
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust London London 12 wks
65.3%
-
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 12 wks
66.4%
5
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 12 wks
74.3%
-
Torbay And South Devon NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 12 wks
67.8%
1
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust South East South East 12 wks
67.0%
15
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 12 wks
63.3%
5
York And Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 12 wks
65.0%
8
Countess Of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 13 wks
60.5%
43
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 13 wks
67.1%
-
Spire Leeds Hospital North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 13 wks
70.5%
-
Nuffield Health, Plymouth Hospital South West South West 13 wks
71.9%
1
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 13 wks
61.6%
36
Spire London East London London 13 wks
66.7%
-
Cobalt Hospital North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 13 wks
66.9%
-
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 14 wks
59.2%
2
University Hospitals Coventry And Warwickshire NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 14 wks
60.9%
5
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 14 wks
61.0%
31
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 14 wks
64.1%
-
Wye Valley NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 14 wks
62.5%
1
North Bristol NHS Trust South West South West 14 wks
58.3%
27
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 14 wks
61.5%
2
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 14 wks
59.1%
26
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 15 wks
57.8%
6
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 15 wks
58.4%
55
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust South East South East 15 wks
57.1%
11
East Suffolk And North Essex NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 15 wks
56.3%
8
The Yorkshire Clinic North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 15 wks
56.3%
-
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust London London 15 wks
56.6%
60
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 16 wks
57.8%
1
Epsomedical Group South East South East 16 wks
56.4%
6
Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 16 wks
53.8%
190
County Durham And Darlington NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 16 wks
53.1%
89
Sandwell And West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 16 wks
58.4%
2
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 16 wks
53.6%
34
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust London London 16 wks
52.5%
2
Calderdale And Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 17 wks
54.0%
1
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 17 wks
52.6%
135
University Hospitals Of Leicester NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 17 wks
52.0%
10
Mersey And West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust North West North West 17 wks
51.4%
230
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 17 wks
51.2%
136
Healthshare Diagnostics South East South East 17 wks
51.3%
1
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 18 wks
50.6%
12
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 18 wks
51.0%
32
Guy's And St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust London London 18 wks
50.6%
99
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust London London 18 wks
50.6%
9
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 19 wks
48.3%
138
Mid And South Essex NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 19 wks
48.7%
363
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 19 wks
48.6%
22
Barts Health NHS Trust London London 19 wks
47.2%
52
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 20 wks
45.5%
6
Wrightington, Wigan And Leigh NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 20 wks
46.4%
54
Norfolk And Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 20 wks
45.0%
80
University Hospitals Of North Midlands NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 21 wks
45.0%
39
Chelsea And Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust London London 21 wks
44.9%
160
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 21 wks
44.8%
35
Nuffield Health, Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospital North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 21 wks
31.8%
3
Spire Liverpool Hospital North West North West 21 wks
45.7%
-
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 22 wks
42.2%
111
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 22 wks
42.3%
399
Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 22 wks
39.4%
5
Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust London London 23 wks
42.6%
15
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 25 wks
35.4%
48
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 27 wks
30.3%
-
Nuffield Health Parkside Hospital London London 29 wks
32.8%
16
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 30 wks
25.0%
-
Nuffield Health, Brighton Hospital South East South East 32 wks
24.4%
26
Whittington Health NHS Trust London London 32 wks
28.7%
38

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the NHS Plastic Surgery waiting list?

The NHS Plastic Surgery waiting list in England has about 102,538 patients currently waiting for treatment. The typical wait is around 15 weeks (3½ months), based on data from 93 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 a plastic surgeon 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 a plastic surgeon. Nationally this currently averages about 15 weeks. In our data it ranges from as short as 3 weeks at the fastest hospital to 32 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 Plastic Surgery patients are seen within 18 weeks?

Across the NHS, 61% of Plastic Surgery 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.