Loading…
NHS waiting times
Data through August 2026. NHS source.
Skin lesion / mole / tag removal is usually treated within the NHS Dermatology Service pathway. The median wait so far across 118 NHS trusts and independent providers reporting to the NHS is 9 weeks, counted from referral on the whole Dermatology Service list, and 7 in 10 patients on that 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%). Routing note: Routine cosmetic skin lesion removal is not funded on the NHS. Lesions that are growing, changing, painful or suspicious for skin cancer are — usually via Dermatology or Plastic Surgery.
On the Dermatology list, the middle of the providers' median waits so far is 9 weeks as of August 2026, across 118 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 →
If your GP suspects cancer, this is different. This kind of test or treatment is also used to investigate cancer. If you have been referred on the urgent suspected-cancer pathway (an urgent referral for suspected cancer), that is separate from the routine waiting list below — you should be seen quickly wherever you are referred, and it is not something to shop around on. If you have symptoms that worry you, speak to your GP.
Up to 10 acute and specialist NHS trusts with 50 or more people on the Dermatology 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 Dermatology 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.