London vs national waiting times - how they compare

Referral-to-treatment waiting times in the London region averaged 13 weeks for admitted treatment and 8 weeks for outpatient appointments, based on the most recent data released by the NHS. Beyond this, it took 59 weeks for 95% of patients to be seen, with more than 30’000 London residents currently waiting more than a year to be seen.

Despite this overall trend, average waiting times vary significantly across specialties, with median referral-to-treatment waiting times of 5 weeks for rheumatology versus 20 weeks for orthopaedic services. Worst out of a bad bunch, children are waiting an average of 23 weeks for procedures. While the national figure is also bad at 19 weeks, this still represents London children waiting on average a month longer than the national average. Over 1500 children are waiting more than a year to be seen in London alone.

Nevertheless, the majority of waiting times are roughly in line with the national trend, as NHS services become increasingly stressed. The NHS is reporting waiting times at all-time-highs, as more than 7 million people are waiting for treatment, of which 384’000 have been waiting more than a year. In this context, the NHS’s target of seeing 92% of patients within 18 weeks appears increasingly far away, as the real figure is currently close to 47 weeks - almost three times the actual target.

While waiting times have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, as the backlog of postponed appointments coincides with the unwinding ‘hidden backlog’ of patients only just presenting with health issues starting during the pandemic, these figures are part of a long-term trend. The NHS has consistently failed to see 92% of patients within 18 weeks, with more than 340’000 waiting more than 27 weeks as early as March 2020.

Even if London’s waiting times are indicative of the continued strain the NHS is under, they still present a worrying trend for London residents. After all, the fact that people are waiting longer for treatment nationwide provides little comfort for those whose lives are in limbo as they await treatment.

Notably, these trends belie widespread variation in waiting times for the same specialties within London. Based on data published by London NHS trusts, the average waiting time for pain management services for one given week in November was three times longer for patients under the care of the Royal Free Hospital versus King’s College Hospital (with waiting times of 30 and 8 weeks respectively). Such data demonstrates the need for people to be aware of their rights to choice under the NHS, whereby they have the right to choose to be seen at a location of their choice, possibly leading to shorter waiting times and better care quality.

Sources: NHS England RTT Waiting Times (October 2022), BMJ