GeraClinic / NHS waiting times / Ear Nose and Throat Service
Ear Nose and Throat Service: NHS Waiting Times
In April 2026, 589,187 patients in England were waiting to start Ear Nose and Throat Service treatment on an open NHS referral-to-treatment pathway. The median wait was 14.1 weeks, and 58.3% had been waiting 18 weeks or less. Figures are official NHS England RTT data.
Quick answer
The NHS Ear Nose and Throat Service waiting list in England held 589,187 patients in April 2026, with a median wait of 14.1 weeks. 58.3% had been waiting 18 weeks or less, so 245,820 were past the 18-week standard, and 12,785 had been waiting more than a year.
Ear Nose and Throat Service NHS waiting figures (April 2026)
| Measure | Ear Nose and Throat Service | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Patients waiting | 589,187 | Incomplete (open) RTT pathways with a known clock start |
| Waiting 18 weeks or less | 343,367 (58.3%) | NHS Constitution standard: 92% within 18 weeks |
| Waiting more than 18 weeks | 245,820 | Patients past the 18-week standard |
| Median wait | 14.1 weeks | Point where half of patients have waited less, half more |
| Waiting more than 52 weeks | 12,785 | Patients waiting over a year |
Ear Nose and Throat Service (NHS treatment function C_120). Across all specialties in England, the median NHS wait was 11.9 weeks with 64.9% seen within 18 weeks, so this specialty is below the national 18-week average.
Don't want to wait 14.1 weeks?
The median NHS wait for Ear Nose and Throat Service is 14.1 weeks. A private consultation can usually happen within days — for advice, investigations, a second opinion or onward referral — and you keep your place on the NHS list. Speak to a consultant-level doctor online with GeraClinic.
Book a private consultationEar Nose and Throat Service NHS waiting times: frequently asked questions
- How long is the NHS waiting list for Ear Nose and Throat Service in England?
- In April 2026, 589,187 patients were waiting to start Ear Nose and Throat Service treatment on an NHS incomplete (open) referral-to-treatment pathway in England. The median wait was 14.1 weeks, and 58.3% of patients had been waiting 18 weeks or less. Figures are official NHS England RTT statistics, as of April 2026.
- What percentage of Ear Nose and Throat Service patients are seen within 18 weeks?
- 58.3% of the 589,187 patients waiting for Ear Nose and Throat Service in England had been waiting 18 weeks or less as of April 2026. That leaves 245,820 patients waiting longer than the NHS 18-week standard. The NHS Constitution target is for 92% of patients to wait no more than 18 weeks.
- How many Ear Nose and Throat Service patients wait more than a year on the NHS?
- 12,785 patients were waiting more than 52 weeks (over a year) to start Ear Nose and Throat Service treatment in England as of April 2026. This is one of the metrics NHS England tracks to eliminate the longest waits.
- Can I avoid the NHS Ear Nose and Throat Service waiting list?
- Many patients shorten the wait by arranging a private consultation. A private specialist can usually see you within days rather than the 14.1 weeks median NHS wait for Ear Nose and Throat Service, and can arrange investigations, a second opinion or onward referral. You keep your NHS place while you do. GeraClinic connects you with consultant-level doctors for an online consultation.
- Where does this NHS waiting-time data come from?
- These figures are aggregated from NHS England's official Consultant-led Referral to Treatment (RTT) Waiting Times release for April 2026 (incomplete pathways). Across all specialties, 7,123,980 patients were waiting, with a national median of 11.9 weeks. The data is published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
NHS waiting times for other specialties
- Trauma and Orthopaedic Service (13.9 weeks median)
- Other - Medical Services (10.3 weeks median)
- Ophthalmology Service (9.7 weeks median)
- Gynaecology Service (13.3 weeks median)
- Other - Surgical Services (11.4 weeks median)
- General Surgery Service (12.7 weeks median)
- Dermatology Service (11.2 weeks median)
- Cardiology Service (11.4 weeks median)
- Urology Service (12.2 weeks median)
- Gastroenterology Service (11.1 weeks median)
- Oral Surgery Service (15.2 weeks median)
- Other - Paediatric Services (11.3 weeks median)
- Neurology Service (13.5 weeks median)
- Respiratory Medicine Service (9.7 weeks median)
- Other - Other Services (8.4 weeks median)
- Rheumatology Service (10.6 weeks median)
- Plastic Surgery Service (14.3 weeks median)
- Neurosurgical Service (12.7 weeks median)
- General Internal Medicine Service (10.8 weeks median)
- Elderly Medicine Service (7.6 weeks median)
- Cardiothoracic Surgery Service (9.9 weeks median)
- Other - Mental Health Services (8.7 weeks median)
- All specialties & the national total →
Methodology
Figures for Ear Nose and Throat Service (treatment function C_120) are aggregated nationally from the real per-provider weekly wait-band counts in NHS England's April 2026 Consultant-led Referral to Treatment (RTT) Waiting Times full CSV extract (20260430-RTT-April-2026-full-extract.csv, incomplete pathways). “Patients waiting” sums all weekly wait bands with a known clock start; “within 18 weeks” is the share in the first 18 bands; the median is the band where the cumulative distribution crosses 50% (linear-interpolated); “over 52 weeks” counts patients waiting more than a year. No estimates or survey data are mixed in. Reference period: April 2026.
Contains public sector information published by NHS England and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: NHS England — Consultant-led Referral to Treatment (RTT) Waiting Times (April 2026, published June 2026). Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. This directory is not affiliated with NHS England.