To help us continue to improve our service, this web site uses cookies. They cannot be used to identify you. Using this site implies an agreement to continue accepting them. For more details please see managing the cookies we use.  

Patients & Visitors

Outpatients

Wait times for first outpatient appointment

We are sorry that many outpatient appointments have been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding.

Please only contact your GP if your condition worsens during your waiting period. Unfortunately, non-urgent cases cannot be expedited.

Please be assured that we have not forgotten about you. We are working hard across all specialties to review waiting lists and to minimise delays, and we will keep in touch with you about your waiting time.

To ensure patient and staff safety, each specialty is working to provide clinical reviews by telephone or by online video. Patients who need to be seen will be asked to attend face-to-face appointments, where social distancing and hygiene measures are in place.

Patients with, or who live with someone who has COVID-19 symptoms - a high temperature, continuous cough or loss or change in sense of taste or smell - must not attend appointments. Please call the number on your appointment letter to rearrange.

The outpatient waiting times listed below indicate the approximate waiting time for each speciality. This wait starts when the hospital receives the referral from the GP until the point of being seen in an outpatient clinic.

These statistics are updated at the beginning of each month and therefore sometimes the waiting times may fluctuate during the month. Some patients will be seen more quickly than the waiting times listed below, such as those on a two-week wait pathway (suspected cancer) and other urgent cases.

Surgery

Outpatients
(GP Referred)
Wait in weeks in excess of:

General Surgery

50

ENT (Adults)

52

ENT (Paediatric)

52

Ophthalmology - General

41

Ophthalmology surgical pathway - Cataracts

11

Ophthalmology - Glaucoma

3

Ophthalmology - Medical Retina

3

Ophthalmology - Corneal

21

Ophthalmology - Paediatric

42

Ophthalmology surgical pathway - Lids

6

Oral Surgery (Adults)

28

Oral Surgery (Paediatric)

10

Orthodontics

10

Trauma & Orthopaedics - Hands

10

Trauma & Orthopaedics - Knees

10

Trauma & Orthopaedics - Foot & Ankle

10

Trauma & Orthopaedics - Shoulder

14

Trauma & Orthopaedics - Spine

70

Trauma & Orthopaedics - Hips

10

Trauma & Orthopaedics - Paediatric

60

Urology

42

Urology (Paediatric)

34

back to top

Medicine

Outpatients
(GP Referred)
Wait in weeks in excess of:

Cardiology

47

Dermatology (Adults)

47

Dermatology (Paediatric)

48

Diabetic Medicine

22

Endocrinology

31

Gastroenterology

68

Geriatric Medicine

30

Neurology

34

Respiratory

12

Rheumatology

27

back to top

Family & Specialist Services

Outpatients
(GP Referred)
Wait in weeks in excess of:

Gynaecology

46

Paediatrics - General

23

Paediatrics - Allergy

20

Paediatrics - Cardiology

26

back to top

This is a guide to the average waiting time for a non-specialised scan.

Outpatient and Radiology waiting times
Current general referral waiting times
(please note urgent & specialised scans waiting times will differ):
Urgent
Approximate
wait in weeks
Routine
Approximate
wait in weeks:
CT Scan

3-4

10-11

MRI Scan

3-4

6-8

General Ultrasound Scan

MSK Ultrasound

Neck/Thyroid Ultrasound

2

2-3

2-3

4-5

4-6

24+

Plain film X-Ray
  • RUH
  • Community sites

 

2
2

 

5-6
6-8

back to top