Rheumatology Waiting Times Across the NHS

The NHS Rheumatology waiting list in England has 113,994 patients currently waiting for treatment, with a typical wait of around 10 weeks across 125 hospitals. In practice, Rheumatology waiting times range from about 2 weeks at the fastest hospital to 26 weeks at the slowest. From GP referral to first Rheumatology appointment, most patients (92%) are seen within about 28 weeks; the NHS constitutional target is 18 weeks. 775 patients have been on the Rheumatology waiting list for more than a year. Waits for Rheumatology are about 0.7 week shorter than in February 2025.

12-month change

Then vs now nationally

Feb 25→Feb 26
Typical wait
10.5weeks
â–¼ -0.7 wks
How long most people wait
Seen in 18 weeks
7in 10
â–² +2.7 pts
NHS aims to see everyone this fast
People waiting
114k
â–¼ -7.5k
On the waiting list right now
Waiting over a year
775
â–¼ -814
Been on the list for 12+ months
125
Hospitals you could choose from
10 weeks
How long most people wait
7 in 10
Seen within 18 weeks
775
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 -0.7 wks

All hospitals

Hospital Region Wait Within 18 Wks 52+ Wk
Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 2 wks
99.4%
-
Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust London London 2 wks
99.1%
-
Maidstone And Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust South East South East 2 wks
97.9%
-
Manchester Surgical Services Ltd North West North West 3 wks
96.9%
-
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 4 wks
100.0%
-
Kingston And Richmond NHS Foundation Trust London London 4 wks
76.3%
-
University Hospitals Coventry And Warwickshire NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 4 wks
94.7%
3
Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 4 wks
91.0%
2
London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust London London 4 wks
89.5%
-
Hampshire And Isle Of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 4 wks
100.0%
-
Guy's And St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust London London 5 wks
96.3%
-
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust South East South East 5 wks
98.7%
-
Harrogate And District NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 5 wks
97.4%
-
Epsomedical Group South East South East 5 wks
90.0%
-
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 5 wks
96.0%
-
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 5 wks
90.7%
-
Connect Health Limited North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 5 wks
91.5%
-
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 6 wks
94.6%
-
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 6 wks
87.9%
-
Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 6 wks
88.0%
-
Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 6 wks
94.6%
-
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 6 wks
87.8%
-
Whittington Health NHS Trust London London 6 wks
94.6%
-
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust South West South West 6 wks
94.7%
-
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 6 wks
81.0%
-
Medefer London London 6 wks
83.0%
-
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 6 wks
96.4%
-
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 7 wks
90.2%
-
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust London London 7 wks
85.9%
1
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 7 wks
96.2%
-
Wrightington, Wigan And Leigh NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 7 wks
87.7%
1
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 7 wks
87.9%
-
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust London London 7 wks
82.8%
-
Sandwell And West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 7 wks
94.3%
1
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 7 wks
84.7%
1
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 7 wks
82.2%
-
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 7 wks
86.7%
-
Barts Health NHS Trust London London 7 wks
75.0%
1
Dorking Healthcare Limited (Dhc) South East South East 7 wks
84.3%
-
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 8 wks
86.0%
1
The Robert Jones And Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 8 wks
84.5%
-
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust South West South West 8 wks
86.7%
-
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 8 wks
84.4%
-
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 8 wks
85.5%
-
Countess Of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 8 wks
73.1%
2
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 8 wks
82.1%
-
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust South East South East 8 wks
88.7%
-
Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust London London 8 wks
80.3%
-
University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 8 wks
84.8%
-
The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 8 wks
80.8%
-
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 8 wks
92.3%
-
York And Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 8 wks
80.2%
-
North Tees And Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 8 wks
84.0%
-
Surrey And Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust South East South East 9 wks
86.8%
-
East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust South East South East 9 wks
86.9%
1
University Hospitals Of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 9 wks
74.0%
4
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 9 wks
75.6%
4
Lewisham And Greenwich NHS Trust London London 9 wks
82.9%
-
Barking, Havering And Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust London London 9 wks
82.7%
2
Tameside And Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 9 wks
87.2%
-
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 9 wks
87.2%
-
Wye Valley NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 10 wks
80.6%
-
Isle Of Wight NHS Trust South East South East 10 wks
70.6%
-
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 10 wks
82.1%
-
Healthshare Diagnostics South East South East 10 wks
82.3%
2
Airedale NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 10 wks
74.0%
-
Norfolk And Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 11 wks
74.5%
-
University Hospitals Bristol And Weston NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 11 wks
69.5%
-
University Hospitals Of Derby And Burton NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 11 wks
73.6%
3
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 11 wks
77.7%
-
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 11 wks
75.5%
-
South Tyneside And Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 11 wks
71.5%
-
Calderdale And Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 11 wks
75.2%
1
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 11 wks
71.9%
-
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 11 wks
70.1%
-
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 11 wks
70.1%
-
Torbay And South Devon NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 12 wks
76.7%
6
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 12 wks
67.1%
-
Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 12 wks
74.6%
-
Ashford And St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 12 wks
66.3%
1
West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust East of England East of England 12 wks
66.5%
-
St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust London London 12 wks
68.1%
4
Nuffield Health The Holly Hospital East of England East of England 12 wks
68.3%
-
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust North West North West 12 wks
67.1%
3
Doncaster And Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 12 wks
68.7%
1
Epsom And St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust London London 12 wks
67.4%
1
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 12 wks
63.3%
-
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 13 wks
61.3%
2
Mersey And West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust North West North West 13 wks
64.0%
39
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 13 wks
63.2%
-
The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust London London 13 wks
65.8%
-
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 13 wks
65.7%
2
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 13 wks
58.7%
1
Chelsea And Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust London London 14 wks
65.7%
-
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 14 wks
68.1%
-
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 14 wks
60.4%
2
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 14 wks
59.6%
2
Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 14 wks
78.3%
-
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust London London 14 wks
61.0%
2
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 15 wks
58.2%
-
East And North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust East of England East of England 15 wks
60.1%
-
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 15 wks
57.3%
4
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust London London 15 wks
58.0%
-
North Bristol NHS Trust South West South West 15 wks
55.9%
-
Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Midlands Midlands 15 wks
54.7%
33
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust London London 16 wks
56.2%
4
The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust East of England East of England 16 wks
54.9%
55
East Suffolk And North Essex NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 16 wks
53.8%
3
Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 16 wks
52.4%
-
Mid And South Essex NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 17 wks
51.7%
191
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 17 wks
53.2%
-
Warrington And Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 17 wks
53.8%
10
County Durham And Darlington NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 17 wks
54.0%
3
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust South West South West 17 wks
52.9%
-
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 18 wks
51.3%
13
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 18 wks
50.9%
16
United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 18 wks
50.4%
46
Northern Lincolnshire And Goole NHS Foundation Trust North East and Yorkshire North East and Yorkshire 19 wks
48.1%
-
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 19 wks
48.5%
35
University Hospitals Of Leicester NHS Trust Midlands Midlands 20 wks
46.2%
20
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust North West North West 20 wks
46.0%
21
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 21 wks
43.9%
22
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust East of England East of England 21 wks
43.8%
41
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 25 wks
35.2%
38
Medway NHS Foundation Trust South East South East 26 wks
34.2%
124

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the NHS Rheumatology waiting list?

The NHS Rheumatology waiting list in England has about 113,994 patients currently waiting for treatment. The typical wait is around 10 weeks (2½ months), based on data from 125 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 2 weeks at the fastest hospital to 26 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, 75% 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.