General Surgery Service

CQC: Requires improvement

General Surgery Service at NORTHERN CARE ALLIANCE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

What this means for you

Your wait is significantly longer than average — about 8 weeks more.

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

At NORTHERN CARE ALLIANCE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST, the median general surgery service wait is 18 weeks, compared to 10 weeks nationally. Doctor Data Wait Score: 1/10. Right to Choose is the most powerful lever you have — switching to a shorter-waiting NHS hospital is free and fast. Private is a backup if you have insurance.

How NORTHERN CARE ALLIANCE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST compares

Rank: #104 of 117 — 13 trusts faster, among the slowest 25% of trusts treating General Surgery Service in England.
12-month trend: rising — 1 week longer than a year ago.
Fastest nationally: UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS DORSET NHS FOUNDATION TRUST — 2-week wait. Switch saves 16 weeks.

This is the typical wait for General Surgery Service as a whole at NORTHERN CARE ALLIANCE 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 general surgery
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NORTHERN CARE ALLIANCE NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTSALFORD, M6 8HD

The data behind it

Median wait: 18wOn the list: 5,470Within 18 weeks: 49%

General Surgery Service — 12-month median wait

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

12-month range: 17-20 weeks (spread 3 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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