At a glance: 34,694 people were waiting for NHS treatment at Bolton in June 2026, spread across 16 specialties, and 427 of them had already waited more than a year. The hardest specialty to be seen quickly was cardiothoracic surgery — only 30% of patients seen within the 18-week target and a median wait of 24 weeks — while elderly medicine was quickest at 85%.
Treatment waiting times at Bolton
| Specialty | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year | Median wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiothoracic surgery | 56 | 30% | 0 | 24 weeks |
| Neurology | 171 | 42% | 2 | 21 weeks |
| Plastic surgery | 720 | 43% | 54 | 22 weeks |
| Cardiology | 3,214 | 47% | 16 | 19 weeks |
| Gynaecology | 3,345 | 48% | 78 | 18 weeks |
| Oral surgery | 2,392 | 51% | 63 | 17 weeks |
| Trauma & orthopaedics | 2,275 | 52% | 30 | 17 weeks |
| ENT | 4,438 | 52% | 104 | 17 weeks |
| Urology | 2,722 | 60% | 31 | 14 weeks |
| General surgery | 4,154 | 66% | 12 | 11 weeks |
| Dermatology | 2,680 | 72% | 0 | 10 weeks |
| Ophthalmology | 5,051 | 74% | 24 | 9 weeks |
| Respiratory medicine | 896 | 77% | 12 | 9 weeks |
| Gastroenterology | 1,535 | 78% | 1 | 8 weeks |
| Rheumatology | 614 | 84% | 0 | 9 weeks |
| Elderly medicine | 431 | 85% | 0 | 7 weeks |
Diagnostic test waiting times at Bolton
| Test | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Audiology | 1,113 | 47% |
| Urodynamics | 58 | 34% |
| Cystoscopy | 276 | 34% |
| CT | 620 | 18% |
| Gastroscopy | 343 | 7% |
| Echocardiography | 732 | 4% |
| Colonoscopy | 381 | 4% |
| MRI | 912 | 2% |
| Ultrasound | 808 | 0% |
| Flexible sigmoidoscopy | 59 | 0% |
The six-week point is where the NHS counts a diagnostic wait as a breach; at Bolton the longest was audiology, with 47% past it and 1,113 people in the queue.
Skip the 24-week wait
Waiting 24 weeks for cardiothoracic surgery at Bolton is a long time to be in pain or limbo. Private cover can have you seen by a consultant in days rather than months. It will not pay for a condition you are already waiting on, so it only helps if arranged before a problem starts — compare cover, see whether it is worth it, or get a free quote now.
Frequently asked questions
Can private cover skip the waiting list at Bolton? Yes for a new problem, no for one you are already waiting to have treated — here is what private cover gets you over the NHS. For the national picture see cardiothoracic surgery waits across England or our NHS waiting-time guides.
Source: NHS England Referral to Treatment (RTT) and Diagnostics (DM01) waiting-times statistics, June 2026; self-pay figures from UK private hospitals’ own published price lists. Waiting-list figures change monthly.