Respiratory Medicine Service

Respiratory Medicine Service at Medway NHS Foundation Trust

What this means for you

Your wait is significantly longer than average — about 5 weeks more.

2/10Doctor Data Wait Score™ · Poorvs nat. median 9w

At Medway NHS Foundation Trust, the median respiratory medicine service wait is 14 weeks, compared to 9 weeks nationally. Doctor Data Wait Score: 2/10. Right to Choose is the most powerful lever you have — choosing a shorter-waiting NHS hospital when your GP refers you is free and fast. Private is a backup if you have insurance.

How Medway NHS Foundation Trust compares

Rank: #109 of 118 — 108 trusts faster, among the slowest 25% of trusts treating Respiratory Medicine Service in England.
12-month trend: falling — 4 weeks shorter than a year ago.
Fastest nationally: Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust — 4-week wait. Switch saves 10 weeks.

This is the typical wait for Respiratory Medicine Service as a whole at Medway 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 Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
When your GP refers you for a first outpatient appointment, you have a legal right to choose the provider, from those with an NHS contract for the service (with exceptions). Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is the fastest within 28 miles of here for this specialty — around 10 weeks sooner than Medway 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 Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
or request Medway 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 respiratory medicine
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Medway NHS Foundation TrustGillingham, ME7 5NY

The data behind it

Median wait: 14wOn the list: 915Within 18 weeks: 56%9 in 10 within: 38w

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 38 weeks). Why these differ →

Respiratory Medicine Service — 12-month median wait

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

12-month range: 13-19 weeks (spread 6 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.

Download this series (CSV) — every month we hold for Respiratory Medicine Service at this trust: list size, % within 18 weeks, median and 90th-percentile wait.

Your options now

Pre-fill a GP letter for Medway NHS Foundation Trust

Two-minute form. Takes a copy of this trust + specialty to your GP appointment. You can edit the wording before printing.

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Common questions

How long is the wait for respiratory medicine at Medway NHS Foundation Trust?: The median wait is 14 weeks (August 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. 55.8% of patients on the list have been waiting under 18 weeks. The 18-week standard, in regulation 45(3) of the NHS Standing Rules Regulations 2012, is at least 92%.
Is Medway NHS Foundation Trust faster or slower than average for respiratory medicine?: Medway NHS Foundation Trust's median wait is 14 weeks. That is 5 weeks longer than the England median of 9 weeks. It ranks 109 of 118 trusts reporting respiratory medicine this month, fastest first.
What is the longest people wait for respiratory medicine at Medway NHS Foundation Trust?: Nine in ten people currently waiting have been on the list 38 weeks or less (August 2026 data). The remaining one in ten have waited longer than that.
Can I choose a different hospital for respiratory medicine?: Usually, at the point of referral. In England you have a legal right to choose which provider your GP refers you to for a first outpatient appointment with a consultant-led service, including providers outside your local area, with some exceptions. If you are already waiting and have waited, or will wait, more than 18 weeks, you can ask the hospital or your integrated care board for a different provider, though it is not always possible. Whether a move is worth it 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 respiratory medicine waiting times?: These figures cover August 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 respiratory medicine at Medway NHS Foundation Trust?

The median wait is 14 weeks (August 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. 55.8% of patients on the list have been waiting under 18 weeks. The 18-week standard, in regulation 45(3) of the NHS Standing Rules Regulations 2012, is at least 92%.

Is Medway NHS Foundation Trust faster or slower than average for respiratory medicine?

Medway NHS Foundation Trust's median wait is 14 weeks. That is 5 weeks longer than the England median of 9 weeks. It ranks 109 of 118 trusts reporting respiratory medicine this month, fastest first.

What is the longest people wait for respiratory medicine at Medway NHS Foundation Trust?

Nine in ten people currently waiting have been on the list 38 weeks or less (August 2026 data). The remaining one in ten have waited longer than that.

Can I choose a different hospital for respiratory medicine?

Usually, at the point of referral. In England you have a legal right to choose which provider your GP refers you to for a first outpatient appointment with a consultant-led service, including providers outside your local area, with some exceptions. If you are already waiting and have waited, or will wait, more than 18 weeks, you can ask the hospital or your integrated care board for a different provider, though it is not always possible. Whether a move is worth it 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 respiratory medicine waiting times?

These figures cover August 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.