18week median wait · June 2026
Half of the 1,290 people on the rheumatology list here have been waiting longer than 18 weeks, half less. That is 3 weeks longer than a year ago. It is about 6 weeks longer than the England average for this specialty.
49%
seen within 18 weeks
(the standard is 92%)
52
weeks for the slowest 8% of the queue
116 / 123
shortest wait in England for this specialty
Which way it’s moving
3 weeks longer than a year ago.
Median wait each month, 13 months to June 2026.
How the queue is spread
Treating sooner nearby
Comparable providers within 75 miles reporting a shorter wait. You have a legal right to ask for any of them.
| Provider | Miles | Median | Sooner by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Chester | 17 | 6 wks | 12 wks |
| Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust Manchester | 45 | 6 wks | 12 wks |
| Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust Ashton-Under-Lyne | 54 | 6 wks | 12 wks |
| The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Oswestry | 42 | 7 wks | 12 wks |
| Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust Stafford | 70 | 7 wks | 11 wks |
Straight answers
About this figure
- It’s about six weeks behind. NHS England publishes monthly, with a lag. This page shows June 2026.
- It’s a trust-level average, not your wait. Your own wait depends on urgency, clinical need and which site you are treated at. Large trusts run several hospitals.
- It counts people still waiting — incomplete pathways at month end — not people already treated.
This page presents official statistics and points to a right you already have. It isn’t medical advice, and it can’t tell you whether switching is right for you — your clinician can.