How sponsored placements work on HospitalWaits

Sponsored placements do not influence our editorial analysis, rankings, methodology, or commentary. Every figure on the site is calculated from public NHS data using the formulas documented on /methodology. That stays true whether a sponsor is involved or not.

We will not:

• Adjust a trust's ranking or Wait Score because of a commercial relationship.
• Hide CQC criticism or quality issues affecting a sponsor.
• Recommend any private hospital, insurer, or service over another.
• Allow sponsors to review or veto our editorial coverage of their organisations.

Mustafa retains final editorial control of every page on the site. Pulling out of a sponsorship deal is always available and never modifies prior editorial.

Where a sponsored element appears on a page, it will:

• Carry a clearly visible Sponsored badge of at least equal visual weight to the listing it sits within.
• Appear visually distinct from editorial content (e.g., a bordered card or shaded background) so no reasonable reader could mistake it for a Doctor Data Ltd recommendation.
• Include the language "Sponsored placements do not influence our editorial analysis" in the page footer wherever sponsored content appears.
• Be tagged with rel="sponsored" on outbound links per Google's link-spam policy.

The standard pattern is the one used by Money Saving Expert and the BMJ — loud, machine-readable disclosure.

Acceptable forms of sponsored placement include:

• A labelled card below the organic results on agreed pages (with the badge above). A sponsored listing never appears inside the ranked results.
• A "Get a quote" CTA branded with the sponsor's logo (tagged as sponsored, with disclosure).

Updated 2 November 2026: paid articles and reports were removed from this list.

What sponsorship cannot buy:

• Editorial recommendation language without evidence.
• Any modification of NHS RTT analysis or methodology.
• Suppression of CQC ratings.
• Links not marked rel="sponsored".

We do not currently have any affiliate relationship with any insurer, and we earn nothing from insurance. Corrected 13 August 2026: this page previously said we participated in such programmes, which was never true. If it ever changes, every such link would:

• Be clearly labelled as an affiliate link in immediate context.
• Carry a footer disclosure on every page that contains them.
• Use rel="sponsored" on outbound clicks.

For impartial comparisons, consult Defaqto, FCA-regulated brokers, and independent financial advice services.

Once a year, Mustafa checks every sponsored placement, and each kind of page that can show one, against the disclosure standard above, and publishes what he finds. If something has slipped, we fix it and say so.

If you think any item on this site is misleadingly presented, or that our editorial has been compromised, please email mustafa@doctor-data.co.uk. Direct to me, the founder. I respond.