Plastic Surgery Waiting Times Across the NHS

The NHS Plastic Surgery waiting list in England has 101,276 patients currently waiting for treatment, with a typical wait of around 13 weeks across 91 hospitals. In practice, Plastic Surgery waiting times range from about 3 weeks at the fastest hospital to 34 weeks at the slowest. From GP referral to first Plastic Surgery appointment, most patients (92%) are seen within about 37 weeks; the NHS constitutional target is 18 weeks. 2,580 patients have been on the Plastic Surgery waiting list for more than a year. Waits for Plastic Surgery are about 1.6 weeks shorter than in April 2025.

12-month change

Then vs now nationally

Apr 25→Apr 26
Typical wait
13.2weeks
â–¼ -1.6 wks
How long most people wait
Seen in 18 weeks
6in 10
â–² +3.1 pts
NHS aims to see everyone this fast
People waiting
101k
â–² +140
On the waiting list right now
Waiting over a year
2.6k
â–¼ -1k
Been on the list for 12+ months
91
Hospitals you could choose from
13 weeks
How long most people wait
6 in 10
Seen within 18 weeks
2.6k
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 -1.6 wks

All hospitals

Hospital Region Wait Within 18 Wks 52+ Wk
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 3 wks
98.8%
-
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 4 wks
90.7%
1
University Hospitals Of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 4 wks
93.0%
1
Cotswolds Surgical Partners South West South West 5 wks
98.9%
-
Somerset Surgical Services HQ South West South West 6 wks
97.6%
-
Airedale NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 6 wks
78.4%
1
Tees Valley Hospital North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 6 wks
96.1%
-
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust London London 6 wks
92.1%
-
Spire Methley Park Hospital North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 7 wks
87.0%
-
Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 7 wks
80.7%
-
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 7 wks
88.0%
1
Tyneside Surgical Services Ltd North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 7 wks
84.8%
-
University Hospitals Of North Midlands NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 8 wks
65.0%
14
The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust London London 8 wks
87.5%
-
Spire Cheshire Hospital North West North West 8 wks
77.3%
-
East And North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust East of England East of England 8 wks
73.5%
23
Kingston And Richmond NHS Foundation Trust London London 9 wks
80.6%
-
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 9 wks
75.1%
-
Countess Of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 9 wks
66.7%
18
University Hospitals Of Derby And Burton NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 9 wks
75.5%
3
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 9 wks
72.3%
1
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 10 wks
73.4%
6
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust South West South West 10 wks
66.1%
4
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 10 wks
78.4%
1
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 10 wks
75.7%
-
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 10 wks
79.3%
-
London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust London London 10 wks
90.5%
-
The Yorkshire Clinic North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 10 wks
70.9%
1
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust South East South East 11 wks
68.9%
-
St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust London London 11 wks
66.4%
9
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 11 wks
67.5%
8
Exeter Medical South West South West 11 wks
76.5%
-
Epsomedical Group South East South East 11 wks
63.5%
6
Wye Valley NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 11 wks
64.5%
-
York And Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 11 wks
62.2%
-
North Bristol NHS Trust South West South West 12 wks
62.4%
13
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 12 wks
62.5%
2
Nuffield Health, Plymouth Hospital South West South West 12 wks
60.0%
-
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 12 wks
70.9%
-
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 12 wks
64.0%
3
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust London London 12 wks
70.1%
1
County Durham And Darlington NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 12 wks
61.8%
33
Spire London East London London 12 wks
58.1%
-
Spire Thames Valley Hospital South East South East 12 wks
60.4%
-
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust London London 13 wks
60.8%
31
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 13 wks
59.9%
4
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 13 wks
59.0%
6
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 13 wks
59.8%
-
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 13 wks
58.0%
121
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 13 wks
59.7%
29
Sandwell And West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 13 wks
62.7%
-
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 14 wks
61.0%
21
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 14 wks
58.0%
43
University Hospitals Coventry And Warwickshire NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 14 wks
59.5%
1
Spire Leeds Hospital North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 14 wks
63.1%
-
Nuffield Health Parkside Hospital London London 14 wks
56.6%
14
East Suffolk And North Essex NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 14 wks
59.6%
-
Calderdale And Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 14 wks
58.1%
-
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 14 wks
56.5%
1
Cobalt Hospital North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 15 wks
58.5%
-
Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust London London 15 wks
57.4%
4
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 15 wks
56.3%
59
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 15 wks
54.5%
1
Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 15 wks
55.5%
167
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust London London 15 wks
62.3%
1
Mersey And West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust North West North West 15 wks
54.1%
136
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 15 wks
55.7%
11
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 15 wks
54.8%
1
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust London London 16 wks
53.6%
1
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 16 wks
52.5%
89
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust South East South East 16 wks
52.2%
19
Guy's And St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust London London 17 wks
51.3%
100
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 17 wks
50.7%
4
Cora Health Diagnostics (Formerly Healthshare Diagnostics) South East South East 17 wks
51.5%
-
Whittington Health NHS Trust London London 17 wks
50.4%
3
University Hospitals Of Leicester NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 17 wks
51.7%
61
Barts Health NHS Trust London London 17 wks
50.6%
57
Nuffield Health, Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospital North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 17 wks
60.0%
2
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 18 wks
49.8%
122
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 19 wks
47.6%
29
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 20 wks
47.6%
17
Chelsea And Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust London London 20 wks
46.6%
156
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 21 wks
45.8%
12
Norfolk And Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 21 wks
44.3%
72
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 21 wks
45.5%
-
Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 22 wks
44.2%
2
Mid And South Essex NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 22 wks
41.5%
512
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 23 wks
41.3%
441
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 25 wks
40.0%
46
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 29 wks
28.7%
-
Nuffield Health, Brighton Hospital South East South East 34 wks
23.6%
34

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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 101,276 patients currently waiting for treatment. The typical wait is around 13 weeks (3 months), based on data from 91 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 13 weeks. In our data it ranges from as short as 3 weeks at the fastest hospital to 34 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, 64% 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.