Plastic Surgery Service

Plastic Surgery Service at Nuffield Health Highgate Hospital

What this means for you

Your wait is over 52 weeks — far past the 18-week maximum in the NHS Constitution.

1/10Doctor Data Wait Score™ · Poorvs nat. median 11w

At Nuffield Health Highgate Hospital, the median plastic surgery service wait is 104 weeks, compared to 11 weeks nationally. Doctor Data Wait Score: 1/10. The NHS Constitution gives you the right to start consultant-led treatment within a maximum of 18 weeks from referral, with exceptions. If that is not possible, the NHS body that commissions and funds your treatment (your ICB or NHS England) must take all reasonable steps to offer you a faster provider: ask the hospital you were referred to or your local ICB. You also have escalation routes (PALS, MP, ICB complaint). Private is also worth considering.

Ask for a faster provider, and escalate
Ask your trust (PALS can help) or your local ICB to offer you a provider that can treat you sooner: the Handbook to the NHS Constitution says you need to contact one of them before alternatives can be investigated. If you are not offered one, you can complain to your ICB. CC your local Healthwatch and your MP.
Find your trust's PALS contact
Talk to your GP about Right to Choose
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). Take a pre-filled letter to your GP — it sets out your situation and the trust you'd prefer.
Generate GP letter
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 plastic surgery
Check if private medical insurance would cover this
Many people have PMI through their employer or partner without realising. A 5-minute check can be worth months saved.
How to check your PMI cover
Self-pay private — only if you can comfortably afford it
Typical private cost varies hugely (£3-25k+ depending on procedure and complications). Read our cost guide before deciding.
What private surgery actually costs
Share with someone helping you decide
Family, partner, or carer. Share this page so you can talk it through together.
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Nuffield Health Highgate HospitalLondon, N6 4DJ

The data behind it

Median wait: 104wOn the list: 1Within 18 weeks: 0%

The median shows how long patients currently on this list have waited so far — a new routine referral will often wait longer. Why these differ →

Plastic Surgery Service — 12-month median wait

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

12-month range: 77-104 weeks (spread 27 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 Plastic Surgery Service at this trust: list size, % within 18 weeks, median and 90th-percentile wait.

Your options now

Pre-fill a GP letter for Nuffield Health Highgate Hospital

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 plastic surgery at Nuffield Health Highgate Hospital?: The median wait is 104 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. 0% 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 Nuffield Health Highgate Hospital faster or slower than average for plastic surgery?: Nuffield Health Highgate Hospital's median wait is 104 weeks. That is 93 weeks longer than the England median of 11 weeks.
Can I choose a different hospital for plastic surgery?: 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 plastic surgery 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 plastic surgery at Nuffield Health Highgate Hospital?

The median wait is 104 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. 0% 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 Nuffield Health Highgate Hospital faster or slower than average for plastic surgery?

Nuffield Health Highgate Hospital's median wait is 104 weeks. That is 93 weeks longer than the England median of 11 weeks.

Can I choose a different hospital for plastic surgery?

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 plastic surgery 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.