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NHS waiting times
Data through August 2026. NHS source.
Across NHS hospitals in England, the median wait so far for Trauma and Orthopaedic Service — the specialty most shoulder surgery cases are routed to — is 12 weeks, counted from referral, and 6 in 10 patients on the Trauma and Orthopaedic 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: shoulder problems cover everything from rotator cuff repair to shoulder replacement, and NHS England's referral-to-treatment (RTT) waits are published by specialty, not by operation: the wait shown covers the whole Trauma & Orthopaedic list and is the time people on it have waited so far, not the wait for any one shoulder operation.
On the Trauma and Orthopaedic list, the middle of the providers' median waits so far is 12 weeks as of August 2026, across 306 NHS trusts and independent providers reporting to the NHS, and 9 in 10 current patients are within 40 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 Trauma and Orthopaedic 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 Trauma and Orthopaedic Service national page →
NHS England's monthly waiting-list figures have no line for any shoulder operation. These Trauma and Orthopaedic figures cover everyone on that list, at any stage, as time waited so far.
The published wait counts the steps from referral to the start of treatment.
In many areas you may be able to get help, such as physiotherapy, from NHS community musculoskeletal (MSK) services without needing a referral from a GP.(nhs.uk)
seeing a specialist for tests or treatment(nhs.uk)
surgery to widen the space around the tendon to prevent it rubbing on the tissue or bone(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.
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.