At a glance: 47,199 people were waiting for NHS treatment at County Durham and Darlington in June 2026, spread across 14 specialties, and 853 of them had already waited more than a year. The hardest specialty to be seen quickly was rheumatology — only 48% of patients seen within the 18-week target and a median wait of 18 weeks — while elderly medicine was quickest at 94%.
Treatment waiting times at County Durham and Darlington
| Specialty | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year | Median wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rheumatology | 2,008 | 48% | 44 | 18 weeks |
| Dermatology | 5,566 | 53% | 349 | 16 weeks |
| General surgery | 6,314 | 60% | 209 | 13 weeks |
| Oral surgery | 760 | 61% | 0 | 13 weeks |
| Gastroenterology | 3,394 | 62% | 2 | 13 weeks |
| Plastic surgery | 1,534 | 63% | 30 | 11 weeks |
| Respiratory medicine | 1,534 | 64% | 1 | 12 weeks |
| Gynaecology | 4,780 | 66% | 90 | 11 weeks |
| Ophthalmology | 3,151 | 67% | 20 | 11 weeks |
| General medicine | 1,928 | 67% | 0 | 11 weeks |
| ENT | 3,773 | 72% | 0 | 11 weeks |
| Trauma & orthopaedics | 10,579 | 74% | 108 | 9 weeks |
| Cardiology | 1,473 | 82% | 0 | 7 weeks |
| Elderly medicine | 405 | 94% | 0 | 6 weeks |
Diagnostic test waiting times at County Durham and Darlington
| Test | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Nerve conduction studies | 63 | 100% |
| Gastroscopy | 555 | 35% |
| Sleep studies | 1,048 | 33% |
| Flexible sigmoidoscopy | 193 | 31% |
| Ultrasound | 6,500 | 22% |
| Audiology | 475 | 21% |
| Colonoscopy | 345 | 17% |
| MRI | 3,541 | 14% |
| Echocardiography | 1,553 | 14% |
| CT | 2,676 | 6% |
| DEXA scan | 556 | 0% |
The six-week point is where the NHS counts a diagnostic wait as a breach; at County Durham and Darlington the longest was nerve conduction studies, with 100% past it and 63 people in the queue.
Skip the 18-week wait
Waiting 18 weeks for rheumatology at County Durham and Darlington 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 County Durham and Darlington? 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 rheumatology 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.