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NHS waiting times
Data through May 2026. NHS source.
Heart operation (general) is usually treated within the NHS Cardiothoracic Surgery Service pathway. The median wait across 44 NHS trusts and independent providers reporting to the NHS is 8.5 weeks for the outpatient appointment, with 7 in 10 patients seen within the 18-week target. Routing note: Heart operations on the NHS are arranged through Cardiothoracic Surgery after referral from Cardiology. The most common are coronary bypass (CABG) and heart valve surgery — see those entries for specific waits.
The national median NHS wait for Heart operation (general) is 8.5 weeks as of May 2026, across 44 NHS trusts and independent providers reporting to the NHS, and 9 in 10 current patients are within 34 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 →
Top 10 NHS trusts publishing Cardiothoracic Surgery Service data, ranked by shortest median wait. Want the full ranking? See all trusts on the Cardiothoracic Surgery Service national page →
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.
Search by postcode →