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NHS waiting times
Data through August 2026. NHS source.
Heart valve surgery is usually treated within the NHS Cardiothoracic Surgery Service pathway. The national median wait so far is 8 weeks across 42 NHS trusts and independent providers reporting to the NHS. It is time waited since referral by people still waiting on the whole Cardiothoracic Surgery Service list, not a wait for heart valve surgery on its own. On that list, 7 in 10 patients 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%). The wait at any individual hospital can be materially shorter or longer than this national median — the ranking below shows the shortest-wait trusts first.
The national median NHS wait for Heart valve surgery is 8 weeks as of August 2026, across 42 NHS trusts and independent providers reporting to the NHS, and 9 in 10 current patients are within 31 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 Cardiothoracic 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 Cardiothoracic Surgery Service national page →
NHS England's monthly waiting-list figures have no line for valve replacement, valve repair or TAVI. These cover the whole Cardiothoracic Surgery list, as time waited so far.
The published wait counts the steps from referral to the start of treatment.
It may be recommended if you have severe heart valve disease and it's not possible to repair your heart valve.(nhs.uk)
A heart valve replacement is done in a specialist hospital.(nhs.uk)
You'll usually stay in hospital for about a week. It can take 2 to 3 months to fully recover.(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.
This procedure may be recommended to treat aortic stenosis (a narrow aortic valve), if other types of surgery are not suitable or could be too high risk for you.(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.