Cardiothoracic Surgery Service

Cardiothoracic Surgery Service at COUNTY DURHAM AND DARLINGTON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

What this means for you

Your wait is over twice the national average — about 18 weeks.

1/10Doctor Data Wait Score™ · Poorvs nat. median 7w

At COUNTY DURHAM AND DARLINGTON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST, the median cardiothoracic surgery service wait is 18 weeks, compared to 7 weeks nationally. Doctor Data Wait Score: 1/10. Right to Choose now: switching NHS hospitals can dramatically cut your wait. If you have private medical insurance, also worth a parallel conversation with your insurer.

How COUNTY DURHAM AND DARLINGTON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST compares

Rank: #34 of 37 — 3 trusts faster, among the slowest 25% of trusts treating Cardiothoracic Surgery Service in England.
12-month trend: rising — 7 weeks longer than a year ago.
Fastest nationally: SOMERSET NHS FOUNDATION TRUST — 2-week wait. Switch saves 16 weeks.

This is the typical wait for Cardiothoracic Surgery Service as a whole at COUNTY DURHAM AND DARLINGTON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST. Your specific procedure could be faster or slower — ask your GP for an estimate that's specific to you.

Talk to your GP about Right to Choose
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Compare with other NHS hospitals near you
See which NHS trusts have shorter waits for this specialty. Useful evidence for your GP conversation.
See national rankings for cardiothoracic surgery
Check if private medical insurance would cover this
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COUNTY DURHAM AND DARLINGTON NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTDARLINGTON, DL3 6HX

The data behind it

Median wait: 18wOn the list: 17Within 18 weeks: 47%

Cardiothoracic Surgery Service — 12-month median wait

This trust (solid) vs national average (dashed). Data through March 2026.

12-month range: 2-38 weeks (spread 36 weeks). Trust waits are sensitive to consultant joins/leaves, list-management policy, and coding changes — the headline median above is one point in this range, not a fixed value.

▸ Why median wait can vary (pooled lists, coding, consultant mix)

Wait times are pooled across all consultants in this specialty at this trust. Your individual wait depends on which consultant you're allocated. Why this matters →

Source: NHS England RTT. Median wait calculated from the published weekly band distribution for incomplete pathways. Source: NHS England RTT · Analysis: Doctor Data Ltd.

Your options now

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