At a glance: 72,725 people were waiting for NHS treatment at East Kent Hospitals University in June 2026, spread across 14 specialties, and 2,314 of them had already waited more than a year. The hardest specialty to be seen quickly was oral surgery — only 34% of patients seen within the 18-week target and a median wait of 25 weeks — while elderly medicine was quickest at 87%.
Treatment waiting times at East Kent Hospitals University
| Specialty | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year | Median wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral surgery | 4,589 | 34% | 315 | 25 weeks |
| Rheumatology | 2,970 | 42% | 52 | 21 weeks |
| Trauma & orthopaedics | 8,100 | 45% | 243 | 19 weeks |
| ENT | 9,247 | 47% | 248 | 19 weeks |
| Respiratory medicine | 4,916 | 50% | 55 | 17 weeks |
| Cardiology | 5,303 | 52% | 659 | 17 weeks |
| General surgery | 8,430 | 58% | 477 | 14 weeks |
| Gynaecology | 6,633 | 58% | 38 | 14 weeks |
| Gastroenterology | 5,235 | 62% | 48 | 14 weeks |
| Ophthalmology | 5,477 | 63% | 159 | 12 weeks |
| Dermatology | 5,503 | 73% | 9 | 9 weeks |
| Urology | 4,473 | 75% | 6 | 10 weeks |
| Neurology | 1,518 | 76% | 5 | 11 weeks |
| Elderly medicine | 331 | 87% | 0 | 7 weeks |
Diagnostic test waiting times at East Kent Hospitals University
| Test | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Barium enema | 722 | 81% |
| Nerve conduction studies | 59 | 73% |
| Urodynamics | 200 | 73% |
| Ultrasound | 10,973 | 55% |
| MRI | 13,059 | 46% |
| Sleep studies | 1,110 | 38% |
| CT | 8,477 | 37% |
| Echocardiography | 417 | 20% |
| DEXA scan | 781 | 16% |
| Gastroscopy | 543 | 16% |
| Colonoscopy | 546 | 9% |
| Flexible sigmoidoscopy | 194 | 6% |
| Audiology | 86 | 0% |
| Cystoscopy | 279 | 0% |
The six-week point is where the NHS counts a diagnostic wait as a breach; at East Kent Hospitals University the longest was barium enema, with 81% past it and 722 people in the queue.
Skip the 25-week wait
Waiting 25 weeks for oral surgery at East Kent Hospitals University 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 East Kent Hospitals University? 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 oral 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.