General Surgery Service

General Surgery Service at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust

What this means for you

Your wait is roughly 4 weeks longer than average.

3/10Doctor Data Wait Score™ · Below averagevs nat. median 10w

At Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, the median general surgery service wait is 14 weeks, compared to 10 weeks nationally. Doctor Data Wait Score: 3/10. You may be able to cut your wait substantially by switching to a different NHS hospital using your Right to Choose. Below are your realistic options.

How Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust compares

Rank: #73 of 115 — 72 trusts faster, in the slower half of trusts treating General Surgery Service in England.
12-month trend: falling — 2 weeks shorter than a year ago.
Fastest nationally: University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust — 3-week wait. Switch saves 11 weeks.

This is the typical wait for General Surgery Service as a whole at Walsall Healthcare NHS 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 The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust
By NHS law you can choose any NHS hospital in England for your first outpatient appointment. The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust is the fastest within 35 miles of here for this specialty — around 5 weeks sooner than Walsall Healthcare NHS 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 The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust
or request Walsall Healthcare NHS 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 surgery
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Walsall Healthcare NHS TrustWalsall, WS2 9PS

The data behind it

Median wait: 14wOn the list: 1,693Within 18 weeks: 57%9 in 10 within: 41w

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 41 weeks). Why these differ →

General Surgery Service — 12-month median wait

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

12-month range: 12-17 weeks (spread 5 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 Walsall Healthcare NHS 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 general surgery at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust?: The median wait is 14 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. 57.4% of patients on the list have been waiting under 18 weeks, which is the NHS constitutional standard.
Is Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust faster or slower than average for general surgery?: Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust's median wait is 14 weeks. That is 4 weeks longer than the England median of 10 weeks. It ranks 73 of 115 trusts reporting general surgery this month, fastest first.
What is the longest people wait for general surgery at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust?: Nine in ten people currently waiting have been on the list 41 weeks or less (July 2026 data). The remaining one in ten have waited longer than that.
Can I choose a different hospital for general surgery?: 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 surgery 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 surgery at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust?

The median wait is 14 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. 57.4% of patients on the list have been waiting under 18 weeks, which is the NHS constitutional standard.

Is Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust faster or slower than average for general surgery?

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust's median wait is 14 weeks. That is 4 weeks longer than the England median of 10 weeks. It ranks 73 of 115 trusts reporting general surgery this month, fastest first.

What is the longest people wait for general surgery at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust?

Nine in ten people currently waiting have been on the list 41 weeks or less (July 2026 data). The remaining one in ten have waited longer than that.

Can I choose a different hospital for general surgery?

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 surgery 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.