At a glance: 72,162 people were waiting for NHS treatment at Guy's and St Thomas' in June 2026, spread across 16 specialties, and 490 of them had already waited more than a year. The hardest specialty to be seen quickly was plastic surgery — only 51% of patients seen within the 18-week target and a median wait of 17 weeks — while elderly medicine was quickest at 92%.
Treatment waiting times at Guy's and St Thomas'
| Specialty | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year | Median wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic surgery | 3,965 | 51% | 67 | 17 weeks |
| Gynaecology | 7,227 | 52% | 66 | 17 weeks |
| Urology | 5,793 | 53% | 101 | 16 weeks |
| General surgery | 1,585 | 56% | 6 | 16 weeks |
| Cardiology | 10,922 | 60% | 122 | 14 weeks |
| ENT | 5,685 | 60% | 55 | 13 weeks |
| Trauma & orthopaedics | 5,076 | 62% | 39 | 13 weeks |
| Respiratory medicine | 10,097 | 62% | 23 | 13 weeks |
| Dermatology | 7,236 | 79% | 7 | 9 weeks |
| Oral surgery | 5,693 | 80% | 2 | 7 weeks |
| Gastroenterology | 3,058 | 80% | 0 | 9 weeks |
| Ophthalmology | 3,308 | 82% | 0 | 8 weeks |
| Neurology | 1,145 | 87% | 0 | 6 weeks |
| General medicine | 350 | 89% | 0 | 8 weeks |
| Rheumatology | 490 | 92% | 0 | 5 weeks |
| Elderly medicine | 532 | 92% | 2 | 5 weeks |
Diagnostic test waiting times at Guy's and St Thomas'
| Test | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Cystoscopy | 348 | 74% |
| Urodynamics | 876 | 69% |
| Audiology | 2,579 | 40% |
| Sleep studies | 2,221 | 30% |
| MRI | 6,892 | 27% |
| Ultrasound | 7,123 | 27% |
| Echocardiography | 3,158 | 27% |
| DEXA scan | 777 | 21% |
| CT | 4,347 | 16% |
| Gastroscopy | 656 | 12% |
| Flexible sigmoidoscopy | 201 | 8% |
| Colonoscopy | 532 | 6% |
| Nerve conduction studies | 259 | 0% |
The six-week point is where the NHS counts a diagnostic wait as a breach; at Guy's and St Thomas' the longest was cystoscopy, with 74% past it and 348 people in the queue.
Skip the 17-week wait
Waiting 17 weeks for plastic surgery at Guy's and St Thomas' 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 Guy's and St Thomas'? 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 plastic 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.