General Internal Medicine Service

General Internal Medicine Service at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

What this means for you

Your wait is over twice the national average — about 21 weeks.

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

At East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, the median general internal medicine service wait is 21 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 East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust compares

Rank: #79 of 81 — 78 trusts faster, among the slowest 25% of trusts treating General Internal Medicine Service in England.
12-month trend: falling — 8 weeks shorter than a year ago.
Fastest nationally: Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust — 1-week wait. Switch saves 20 weeks.

This is the typical wait for General Internal Medicine Service as a whole at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust. Your specific procedure could be faster or slower — ask your GP for an estimate that's specific to you.

Ask your GP to refer you to East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust
By NHS law you can choose any NHS hospital in England for your first outpatient appointment. East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust is the fastest within 48 miles of here for this specialty — around 19 weeks sooner than East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust. The letter below already names them; check the travel is realistic for you before you take it to your GP.
Generate GP letter for East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust
or request East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust instead
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 general medicine
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Find shorter general internal medicine waits near you

Enter your postcode to rank every NHS hospital by wait and distance, so you can see whether a faster one is genuinely within reach.

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation TrustColchester, CO4 5JL

The data behind it

Median wait: 21wOn the list: 645Within 18 weeks: 43%9 in 10 within: 47w

The median shows how long patients currently on this list have waited so far — a new routine referral will often wait longer (9 in 10 current patients are within 47 weeks). Why these differ →

General Internal Medicine Service — 12-month median wait

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

12-month range: 11-21 weeks (spread 10 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

Pre-fill a GP letter for East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

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Common questions

How long is the wait for general internal medicine at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust?: The median wait is 21 weeks (July 2026 data). Half of the people currently on this list have waited less than that so far and half have waited longer; a new routine referral will often wait longer, so treat it as a guide rather than a promise. 42.5% of patients on the list have been waiting under 18 weeks, which is the NHS constitutional standard.
Is East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust faster or slower than average for general internal medicine?: East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust's median wait is 21 weeks. That is 14 weeks longer than the England median of 7 weeks. It ranks 79 of 81 trusts reporting general internal medicine this month, fastest first.
What is the longest people wait for general internal medicine at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust?: Nine in ten people currently waiting have been on the list 47 weeks or less (July 2026 data). The remaining one in ten have waited longer than that.
Can I choose a different hospital for general internal medicine?: Yes. In England you have a legal right to choose which hospital you are referred to for most planned consultant-led care, including providers outside your local area. You can ask your GP to refer you elsewhere, or ask to switch after referral. Whether that is worth doing depends on travel, the treatment you need and your own circumstances — this site shows the published waits so you and your GP can weigh it up.
How up to date are these general internal medicine waiting times?: These figures cover July 2026. NHS England publishes Referral-to-Treatment data monthly, roughly six weeks after the month it describes, and this page updates within days of each release. Waiting times are not live queue positions: they describe how long people on the list have already been waiting.

Common questions

How long is the wait for general internal medicine at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust?

The median wait is 21 weeks (July 2026 data). Half of the people currently on this list have waited less than that so far and half have waited longer; a new routine referral will often wait longer, so treat it as a guide rather than a promise. 42.5% of patients on the list have been waiting under 18 weeks, which is the NHS constitutional standard.

Is East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust faster or slower than average for general internal medicine?

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust's median wait is 21 weeks. That is 14 weeks longer than the England median of 7 weeks. It ranks 79 of 81 trusts reporting general internal medicine this month, fastest first.

What is the longest people wait for general internal medicine at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust?

Nine in ten people currently waiting have been on the list 47 weeks or less (July 2026 data). The remaining one in ten have waited longer than that.

Can I choose a different hospital for general internal medicine?

Yes. In England you have a legal right to choose which hospital you are referred to for most planned consultant-led care, including providers outside your local area. You can ask your GP to refer you elsewhere, or ask to switch after referral. Whether that is worth doing depends on travel, the treatment you need and your own circumstances — this site shows the published waits so you and your GP can weigh it up.

How up to date are these general internal medicine waiting times?

These figures cover July 2026. NHS England publishes Referral-to-Treatment data monthly, roughly six weeks after the month it describes, and this page updates within days of each release. Waiting times are not live queue positions: they describe how long people on the list have already been waiting.