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NHS waiting times
Data through August 2026. NHS source.
Across NHS hospitals in England, the median wait so far for General Surgery Service — the specialty most gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy) cases are routed to — is 11 weeks, counted from referral, and 6 in 10 patients on the General Surgery Service list have waited less than 18 weeks, the maximum wait set out in the Handbook to the NHS Constitution for non-urgent consultant-led treatment (the 18-week standard is at least 92%). Important context: most people having their gallbladder removed have keyhole surgery and can usually go home the same day, but NHS England's referral-to-treatment (RTT) waits are published by specialty, not by operation: the wait shown covers the whole General Surgery list and is the time people on it have waited so far, not the wait for gallbladder removal on its own.
On the General Surgery list, the middle of the providers' median waits so far is 11 weeks as of August 2026, across 275 NHS trusts and independent providers reporting to the NHS, and 9 in 10 current patients are within 39 weeks. But the wait varies significantly between trusts — see the full ranking to find the shortest wait near you.
The median shows time waited so far by the current list — a new routine referral will often wait longer. Why these differ →
Up to 10 acute and specialist NHS trusts with 50 or more people on the General Surgery Service waiting list, ranked by shortest median wait. Community and mental-health trusts, smaller lists and independent providers are on the full ranking: See all trusts on the General Surgery Service national page →
NHS England's monthly waiting-list figures have no line for gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy). These figures cover everyone on the General Surgery list, whether they are waiting for a first clinic, for tests or for the operation.
The published wait counts the steps from referral to the start of treatment.
Gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy) is often recommended if you have gallstones that are causing problems like severe or frequent tummy pain.(nhs.uk)
Most people have keyhole surgery (laparoscopic cholecystectomy) if they need to have their gallbladder removed.(nhs.uk)
You can usually go home on the same day as having your gallbladder removed.(nhs.uk)
Your options: when your GP refers you, you can usually choose the provider, among those clinically appropriate. Waited, or will wait, more than 18 weeks for non-urgent consultant-led treatment? You can ask the hospital or your integrated care board for another provider; it is not always possible.
Your gallbladder may not need to be removed if you have gallstones that are not causing any symptoms.(nhs.uk)
Hospitals ranked by shortest wait within travelling distance of each city.
The ranking above is national. To rank hospitals by distance from your postcode, search with your postcode below.