General internal medicine covers a broad range of adult medical conditions. At the end of June 2026, 29,589 people in England were waiting for general medicine treatment. Just 71% were seen within the 18-week target, and 251 had already waited more than a year — the sort of queue private treatment can skip for anything you are not already being treated for.
Where general medicine waits are worst
| NHS trust | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge University Hospitals | 793 | 39% | 58 |
| University College London Hospitals | 5,973 | 52% | 35 |
| East Suffolk and North Essex | 811 | 54% | 0 |
| Kingston and Richmond | 467 | 57% | 0 |
| Lewisham and Greenwich | 336 | 59% | 60 |
| Lancashire Teaching Hospitals | 2,002 | 59% | 0 |
| Northampton General Hospital | 442 | 60% | 1 |
| Mid and South Essex | 2,292 | 67% | 60 |
| Royal Free London | 305 | 67% | 0 |
| County Durham and Darlington | 1,928 | 67% | 0 |
| Dartford and Gravesham | 782 | 69% | 0 |
| Chesterfield Royal Hospital | 461 | 70% | 2 |
The 18-week target is the point at which the NHS says treatment should have started. In the trusts above, most general medicine patients had already waited longer.
Skip the queue with private treatment
Nobody wants to spend months on a general medicine waiting list. Private cover can have you seen by a consultant in days, not months. It will not pay for a condition you are already waiting on, so arrange it before a problem starts — compare cover, see if it is worth it, or get a free quote.
Frequently asked questions
What does private general medicine cost? Private hospitals publish self-pay prices, and cover pays for treatment arranged before symptoms begin.
Can I switch to private care once I am on the NHS list? You can pay privately at any time, but insurance will not cover a condition you are already waiting to have treated — that is why cover is worth arranging while you are well.
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.