Frequently asked questions

Common questions about NHS waits + your options

Q: How do I use Right to Choose?

Three steps: compare waits at your local NHS trust vs other trusts; tell your GP at your next appointment which trust you'd prefer; take a pre-filled letter to your GP appointment.

Q: Can my GP refuse my Right to Choose request?

Only on clinical grounds. They cannot refuse for non-clinical reasons. If your GP refuses on non-clinical grounds, contact NHS England (0300 311 22 33) or your local Healthwatch.

Q: Why don't more patients use Right to Choose?

NHS England's data shows fewer than 0.5% of eligible referrals invoke Right to Choose, mainly due to information asymmetry. Most patients don't know it exists.

Q: Should I go private?

Exhaust Right to Choose first; check insurance; only consider self-pay if your wait is materially harming your life AND you can afford it AND you've done due diligence.

Plain-English answers to the questions patients ask most often. For deeper analysis on any topic, see /insights.

Reviewed by Dr Mustafa Ghafouri MD · Last reviewed: 4 May 2026

Using HospitalWaits

What is HospitalWaits?: HospitalWaits.co.uk is the UK's first doctor-led NHS waiting-time comparison platform. Built by Doctor Data Ltd, it lets patients compare waits across 538 NHS trusts and 18 specialties using monthly NHS England Referral-to-Treatment (RTT) data.
Is it free?: Yes. HospitalWaits is free for patients, GPs, and journalists. We do not collect personal data, do not require login, and do not charge for any feature.
Where does the data come from?: All NHS waiting-time data is from NHS England's monthly Referral-to-Treatment (RTT) statistical release, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Trust metadata comes from the NHS Organisation Data Service. Geocoding via postcodes.io. Every figure on the site links to its NHS source URL.
How often is the data updated?: Monthly. NHS England typically publishes RTT data on the 2nd Thursday of each month, reporting end-of-prior-month figures. Our pipeline ingests within 24 hours.

NHS Right to Choose

What is NHS Right to Choose?: Under the NHS Constitution, every patient in England has the legal right to choose any NHS hospital that provides their treatment, for their first outpatient appointment. The official policy is published at nhs.uk and the underlying NHS Choice Framework is the legal source.
How do I use Right to Choose?: Three steps: (1) compare waits at your local NHS trust vs other trusts you can travel to (use HospitalWaits or NHS England's RTT data); (2) tell your GP at your next appointment that you want to be referred to the trust with the shorter wait; (3) take a printable letter to your GP — HospitalWaits has a generator at /gp-letter that pre-fills your details.
Can my GP refuse my Right to Choose request?: Only on clinical grounds — for example, an emergency that requires the nearest centre, or a specialised pathway only your local trust runs. They cannot refuse for non-clinical reasons (administrative inconvenience, hospital pressure, etc). If your GP refuses on non-clinical grounds, contact NHS England (0300 311 22 33) or your local Healthwatch.
Why don't more patients use Right to Choose?: Information asymmetry. NHS England's own data shows fewer than 0.5% of eligible referrals invoke Right to Choose. Most patients don't know it exists; many GPs don't proactively raise it; the data needed for a confident choice has historically been hard to find. (HospitalWaits exists to fix that last bit.)

Going private

Should I go private?: It depends on your situation. As a general framework: (1) exhaust Right to Choose first — switching NHS trusts is free and often dramatically shorter wait; (2) check insurance — many people have private medical insurance through their employer or partner without realising; (3) only consider self-pay if your wait is materially harming your life AND you can comfortably afford it AND you've done full due diligence on the consultant + hospital. Full framework at /insights/when-private-makes-sense.
How much does private surgery cost?: Published 'from' prices vs realistic all-in bills typically run 20-40% apart. A hip replacement quoted at £14,000 often becomes a £17,000-£19,000 final bill. See /insights/what-private-surgery-actually-costs for realistic ranges across 10+ procedures + how to get a quote you can trust.
Do I have private medical insurance?: Surprisingly often, yes — and you may not realise it. Five places worth checking: (1) your employer's benefits portal, (2) your partner's policy, (3) email-search for 'policy schedule' / insurer names, (4) health-cash plans (Simply Health, HSF), (5) add-ons to other insurance you already have. See /insurance-cover for full guidance.
Can I take out PMI now to cover my current wait?: Usually no. Pre-existing conditions are excluded under almost all standard PMI policies. 'Moratorium' underwriting typically requires a 2-year symptom-free period before the policy covers a condition. For your current wait, focus on Right to Choose and self-pay (if affordable). For future protection, talk to a Defaqto-rated independent broker.

Trust + integrity

Who built HospitalWaits?: Dr Mustafa Ghafouri MD — an NHS doctor and 10-year data scientist (currently Head of Data Science at Pharmacy2U; NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Fellow). HospitalWaits.co.uk is the first consumer product from Doctor Data Ltd, his UK Limited company.
Are you affiliated with the NHS?: No. HospitalWaits is independent. We have no affiliation with NHS England, NHS Digital, or any individual NHS trust. We use NHS open data under the Open Government Licence v3.0 but we are not part of the NHS.
Are you funded by private healthcare companies?: No. From late 2026, we may accept sponsored placements from private hospital groups and affiliate links to PMI insurers — these are loudly disclosed (Money Saving Expert / BMJ pattern). They never modify our editorial analysis or methodology. Full disclosure standard at /sponsorship-policy. Annual editorial-independence audit committed publicly.
Is this medical advice?: No. HospitalWaits provides general information, not medical advice. Mustafa is an NHS doctor; he is not your doctor. Anything that looks like a clinical recommendation is general information — your GP, your consultant, and your specialist nurse are the people who should advise on your specific situation.

When things go wrong

My NHS operation got cancelled at short notice. What can I do?: Under the NHS Constitution, if your operation is cancelled at short notice for non-clinical reasons, you are entitled to: (1) a new date within 28 days; OR (2) treatment at another NHS hospital at NHS expense; OR (3) treatment at a private hospital at NHS expense if neither of the above is possible. Step-by-step: ask your consultant's secretary to confirm the cancellation reason in writing; if no new date within 14 days, contact PALS + your MP + local Healthwatch. Full guide at /insights/what-to-do-when-op-cancelled.
I've been waiting more than 52 weeks. What are my options?: 52+ weeks is past the NHS legal RTT standard — a constitutional breach. Activate all escalation routes: (1) PALS at your trust; (2) your local MP; (3) local Healthwatch; (4) NHS England (0300 311 22 33); (5) formal written complaint. Plus: use Right to Choose to switch to a shorter-waiting trust, and (if you have it) check PMI. The decision-support panel on each /trust × specialty page has the specific recommendations for 52+ week waits.
How do I escalate a complaint about my NHS trust?: First: contact your trust's PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service) — find the contact via your trust's NHS website page. If unresolved within 25 working days: file a formal written complaint to the trust's complaints team (this triggers a legally-required response). For continued issues, contact your local Healthwatch (independent statutory patient-voice body), your MP, and NHS England (0300 311 22 33).

Question not answered here? Email mustafa@doctor-data.co.uk. Better answer? We'll publish corrections per our editorial policy.

Using HospitalWaits

What is HospitalWaits?

HospitalWaits.co.uk is the UK's first doctor-led NHS waiting-time comparison platform. Built by Doctor Data Ltd, it lets patients compare waits across 538 NHS trusts and 18 specialties using monthly NHS England Referral-to-Treatment (RTT) data.

Is it free?

Yes. HospitalWaits is free for patients, GPs, and journalists. We do not collect personal data, do not require login, and do not charge for any feature.

Where does the data come from?

All NHS waiting-time data is from NHS England's monthly Referral-to-Treatment (RTT) statistical release, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Trust metadata comes from the NHS Organisation Data Service. Geocoding via postcodes.io. Every figure on the site links to its NHS source URL.

How often is the data updated?

Monthly. NHS England typically publishes RTT data on the 2nd Thursday of each month, reporting end-of-prior-month figures. Our pipeline ingests within 24 hours.

NHS Right to Choose

What is NHS Right to Choose?

Under the NHS Constitution, every patient in England has the legal right to choose any NHS hospital that provides their treatment, for their first outpatient appointment. The official policy is published at nhs.uk and the underlying NHS Choice Framework is the legal source.

How do I use Right to Choose?

Three steps: (1) compare waits at your local NHS trust vs other trusts you can travel to (use HospitalWaits or NHS England's RTT data); (2) tell your GP at your next appointment that you want to be referred to the trust with the shorter wait; (3) take a printable letter to your GP — HospitalWaits has a generator at /gp-letter that pre-fills your details.

Can my GP refuse my Right to Choose request?

Only on clinical grounds — for example, an emergency that requires the nearest centre, or a specialised pathway only your local trust runs. They cannot refuse for non-clinical reasons (administrative inconvenience, hospital pressure, etc). If your GP refuses on non-clinical grounds, contact NHS England (0300 311 22 33) or your local Healthwatch.

Why don't more patients use Right to Choose?

Information asymmetry. NHS England's own data shows fewer than 0.5% of eligible referrals invoke Right to Choose. Most patients don't know it exists; many GPs don't proactively raise it; the data needed for a confident choice has historically been hard to find. (HospitalWaits exists to fix that last bit.)

Going private

Should I go private?

It depends on your situation. As a general framework: (1) exhaust Right to Choose first — switching NHS trusts is free and often dramatically shorter wait; (2) check insurance — many people have private medical insurance through their employer or partner without realising; (3) only consider self-pay if your wait is materially harming your life AND you can comfortably afford it AND you've done full due diligence on the consultant + hospital. Full framework at /insights/when-private-makes-sense.

How much does private surgery cost?

Published 'from' prices vs realistic all-in bills typically run 20-40% apart. A hip replacement quoted at £14,000 often becomes a £17,000-£19,000 final bill. See /insights/what-private-surgery-actually-costs for realistic ranges across 10+ procedures + how to get a quote you can trust.

Do I have private medical insurance?

Surprisingly often, yes — and you may not realise it. Five places worth checking: (1) your employer's benefits portal, (2) your partner's policy, (3) email-search for 'policy schedule' / insurer names, (4) health-cash plans (Simply Health, HSF), (5) add-ons to other insurance you already have. See /insurance-cover for full guidance.

Can I take out PMI now to cover my current wait?

Usually no. Pre-existing conditions are excluded under almost all standard PMI policies. 'Moratorium' underwriting typically requires a 2-year symptom-free period before the policy covers a condition. For your current wait, focus on Right to Choose and self-pay (if affordable). For future protection, talk to a Defaqto-rated independent broker.

Trust + integrity

Who built HospitalWaits?

Dr Mustafa Ghafouri MD — an NHS doctor and 10-year data scientist (currently Head of Data Science at Pharmacy2U; NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Fellow). HospitalWaits.co.uk is the first consumer product from Doctor Data Ltd, his UK Limited company.

Are you affiliated with the NHS?

No. HospitalWaits is independent. We have no affiliation with NHS England, NHS Digital, or any individual NHS trust. We use NHS open data under the Open Government Licence v3.0 but we are not part of the NHS.

Are you funded by private healthcare companies?

No. From late 2026, we may accept sponsored placements from private hospital groups and affiliate links to PMI insurers — these are loudly disclosed (Money Saving Expert / BMJ pattern). They never modify our editorial analysis or methodology. Full disclosure standard at /sponsorship-policy. Annual editorial-independence audit committed publicly.

Is this medical advice?

No. HospitalWaits provides general information, not medical advice. Mustafa is an NHS doctor; he is not your doctor. Anything that looks like a clinical recommendation is general information — your GP, your consultant, and your specialist nurse are the people who should advise on your specific situation.

When things go wrong

My NHS operation got cancelled at short notice. What can I do?

Under the NHS Constitution, if your operation is cancelled at short notice for non-clinical reasons, you are entitled to: (1) a new date within 28 days; OR (2) treatment at another NHS hospital at NHS expense; OR (3) treatment at a private hospital at NHS expense if neither of the above is possible. Step-by-step: ask your consultant's secretary to confirm the cancellation reason in writing; if no new date within 14 days, contact PALS + your MP + local Healthwatch. Full guide at /insights/what-to-do-when-op-cancelled.

I've been waiting more than 52 weeks. What are my options?

52+ weeks is past the NHS legal RTT standard — a constitutional breach. Activate all escalation routes: (1) PALS at your trust; (2) your local MP; (3) local Healthwatch; (4) NHS England (0300 311 22 33); (5) formal written complaint. Plus: use Right to Choose to switch to a shorter-waiting trust, and (if you have it) check PMI. The decision-support panel on each /trust × specialty page has the specific recommendations for 52+ week waits.

How do I escalate a complaint about my NHS trust?

First: contact your trust's PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service) — find the contact via your trust's NHS website page. If unresolved within 25 working days: file a formal written complaint to the trust's complaints team (this triggers a legally-required response). For continued issues, contact your local Healthwatch (independent statutory patient-voice body), your MP, and NHS England (0300 311 22 33).