Rheumatology Waiting Times Across the NHS

The NHS Rheumatology waiting list in England has 118,400 patients currently waiting for treatment, with a typical wait of around 10 weeks across 124 hospitals. In practice, Rheumatology waiting times range from about 3 weeks at the fastest hospital to 30 weeks at the slowest. From GP referral to first Rheumatology appointment, most patients (92%) are seen within about 27 weeks; the NHS constitutional target is 18 weeks. 1,095 patients have been on the Rheumatology waiting list for more than a year. Waits for Rheumatology are about 0.5 week shorter than in June 2025.

12-month change

Then vs now nationally

Jun 25→Jun 26
Typical wait
9.9weeks
â–¼ -0.5 wks
How long most people wait
Seen in 18 weeks
8in 10
â–² +1.9 pts
NHS aims to see everyone this fast
People waiting
118k
â–¼ -5.7k
On the waiting list right now
Waiting over a year
1.1k
â–¼ -381
Been on the list for 12+ months
124
Hospitals you could choose from
10 weeks
How long most people wait
8 in 10
Seen within 18 weeks
1.1k
Have waited over a year

Common reasons for referral

Rheumatoid arthritis
Osteoarthritis management
Lupus (SLE)
Fibromyalgia
Gout
Ankylosing spondylitis
Polymyalgia rheumatica
Joint injections
Connective tissue diseases

National trend

Average rheumatology wait across England, month by month.

â–¼ -0.5 wks

All hospitals

Hospital Region Wait Within 18 Wks 52+ Wk
Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust London London 3 wks
99.4%
-
Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 3 wks
99.1%
-
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 3 wks
98.8%
-
Maidstone And Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust South East South East 3 wks
100.0%
-
Kingston And Richmond NHS Foundation Trust London London 4 wks
95.6%
-
University Hospitals Coventry And Warwickshire NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 4 wks
96.3%
-
London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust London London 4 wks
97.8%
-
University Hospitals Bristol And Weston NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 4 wks
96.8%
-
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust South East South East 5 wks
98.4%
-
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 5 wks
94.2%
-
Hampshire And Isle Of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 5 wks
100.0%
-
Guy's And St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust London London 5 wks
92.0%
-
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 5 wks
96.0%
-
Sandwell And West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 6 wks
95.2%
-
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 6 wks
96.1%
-
Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 6 wks
93.4%
-
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust South West South West 6 wks
86.7%
-
Dorking Healthcare Limited (Dhc) South East South East 6 wks
93.9%
-
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust South West South West 6 wks
95.4%
1
Manchester Surgical Services Ltd North West North West 6 wks
98.7%
-
Harrogate And District NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 6 wks
95.3%
-
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 6 wks
92.1%
1
Whittington Health NHS Trust London London 6 wks
90.8%
-
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 6 wks
90.8%
-
Countess Of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 6 wks
94.6%
-
Tameside And Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 6 wks
96.6%
-
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 7 wks
92.2%
-
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 7 wks
88.8%
2
Cora Health Msk (Formerly Connect Health Ltd) North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 7 wks
87.9%
-
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 7 wks
87.1%
-
East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust South East South East 7 wks
89.9%
4
The Robert Jones And Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 7 wks
94.4%
-
Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 7 wks
79.9%
4
Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 7 wks
84.5%
-
University Hospitals Of Derby And Burton NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 7 wks
91.8%
2
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 7 wks
92.6%
-
Wye Valley NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 7 wks
83.5%
-
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 7 wks
89.6%
-
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 7 wks
86.4%
-
The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 7 wks
93.5%
-
Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 7 wks
88.4%
-
Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 7 wks
84.6%
-
Epsom And St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust London London 7 wks
80.8%
2
Isle Of Wight NHS Trust South East South East 7 wks
78.9%
-
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust South East South East 7 wks
90.5%
-
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust London London 8 wks
86.0%
-
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 8 wks
77.8%
-
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 8 wks
87.4%
-
Epsomedical Group South East South East 8 wks
89.7%
-
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 8 wks
86.9%
-
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 8 wks
84.5%
-
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 8 wks
85.3%
1
Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust London London 8 wks
78.3%
-
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 8 wks
90.6%
-
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 8 wks
83.5%
-
University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 8 wks
87.8%
-
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 8 wks
85.3%
-
York And Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 8 wks
82.7%
-
Medefer London London 8 wks
89.6%
-
Surrey And Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust South East South East 9 wks
75.9%
-
Barts Health NHS Trust London London 9 wks
80.0%
-
St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust London London 9 wks
74.2%
14
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 9 wks
79.9%
-
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 9 wks
86.7%
-
Cora Health Diagnostics (Formerly Healthshare Diagnostics) South East South East 9 wks
74.3%
3
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 9 wks
83.6%
-
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust London London 9 wks
81.3%
-
South Tyneside And Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 9 wks
79.0%
-
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 9 wks
84.4%
-
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 9 wks
80.8%
-
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 10 wks
79.5%
1
Wrightington, Wigan And Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 10 wks
78.7%
-
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 10 wks
85.3%
-
Airedale NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 10 wks
70.8%
-
North Tees And Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 10 wks
82.1%
-
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 10 wks
67.3%
-
Barking, Havering And Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust London London 10 wks
78.0%
4
University Hospitals Of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 11 wks
71.6%
10
The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust London London 11 wks
70.3%
-
West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust East of England East of England 11 wks
71.2%
-
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust North West North West 11 wks
68.5%
1
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 11 wks
70.6%
-
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 11 wks
68.0%
3
Calderdale And Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 11 wks
73.5%
1
Chelsea And Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust London London 11 wks
75.2%
-
Lewisham And Greenwich NHS Trust London London 11 wks
83.3%
1
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 11 wks
68.5%
2
Ashford And St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 11 wks
63.6%
-
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 12 wks
68.2%
1
Norfolk And Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 12 wks
69.7%
-
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 12 wks
68.9%
-
Doncaster And Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 12 wks
69.9%
-
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 12 wks
68.2%
-
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust London London 12 wks
65.7%
-
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 13 wks
62.4%
6
Mersey And West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust North West North West 13 wks
67.1%
12
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust London London 13 wks
64.1%
26
North Bristol NHS Trust South West South West 13 wks
62.1%
-
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 13 wks
65.1%
-
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 13 wks
61.5%
1
Nuffield Health The Holly Hospital East of England East of England 14 wks
67.0%
-
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 14 wks
63.7%
-
The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust East of England East of England 14 wks
65.5%
4
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 14 wks
61.0%
3
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 14 wks
60.9%
-
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 14 wks
58.9%
16
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 14 wks
58.7%
-
Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 14 wks
66.9%
-
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust London London 15 wks
59.1%
1
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 15 wks
56.5%
-
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 16 wks
53.7%
6
East Suffolk And North Essex NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 16 wks
55.2%
-
East And North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust East of England East of England 16 wks
55.6%
-
Modality Llp Midlands Midlands 17 wks
50.0%
-
North Cheshire And Mersey NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 17 wks
52.2%
9
Northern Lincolnshire And Goole NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 18 wks
50.8%
-
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 18 wks
49.3%
100
County Durham And Darlington NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 19 wks
48.2%
44
Mid And South Essex NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 19 wks
47.8%
236
University Hospitals Of Leicester NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 19 wks
47.6%
60
United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 20 wks
46.4%
125
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 20 wks
45.5%
47
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 22 wks
42.2%
52
Medway NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 30 wks
31.2%
289

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the NHS Rheumatology waiting list?

The NHS Rheumatology waiting list in England has about 118,400 patients currently waiting for treatment. The typical wait is around 10 weeks (just over 2 months), based on data from 124 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 rheumatologist 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 rheumatologist. Nationally this currently averages about 10 weeks. In our data it ranges from as short as 3 weeks at the fastest hospital to 30 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 Rheumatology patients are seen within 18 weeks?

Across the NHS, 78% of Rheumatology 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.