At a glance: 39,149 people were waiting for NHS treatment at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells in June 2026, spread across 12 specialties, and 6 of them had already waited more than a year. The hardest specialty to be seen quickly was ENT — only 62% of patients seen within the 18-week target and a median wait of 13 weeks — while rheumatology was quickest at 100%.
Treatment waiting times at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells
| Specialty | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year | Median wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENT | 5,893 | 62% | 3 | 13 weeks |
| Gastroenterology | 3,041 | 67% | 0 | 12 weeks |
| Neurology | 1,845 | 68% | 0 | 11 weeks |
| Gynaecology | 5,745 | 69% | 0 | 11 weeks |
| General surgery | 5,566 | 71% | 0 | 10 weeks |
| Ophthalmology | 6,248 | 78% | 0 | 8 weeks |
| Cardiology | 2,256 | 78% | 0 | 10 weeks |
| Trauma & orthopaedics | 4,237 | 78% | 3 | 9 weeks |
| Respiratory medicine | 1,278 | 81% | 0 | 9 weeks |
| Urology | 2,439 | 87% | 0 | 7 weeks |
| Elderly medicine | 180 | 99% | 0 | 4 weeks |
| Rheumatology | 421 | 100% | 0 | 3 weeks |
Diagnostic test waiting times at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells
| Test | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Flexible sigmoidoscopy | 272 | 37% |
| Cystoscopy | 78 | 22% |
| Gastroscopy | 441 | 21% |
| Colonoscopy | 381 | 19% |
| Echocardiography | 879 | 5% |
| Audiology | 676 | 2% |
| Sleep studies | 89 | 2% |
| Ultrasound | 4,066 | 1% |
| Barium enema | 106 | 1% |
| MRI | 1,523 | 0% |
| CT | 2,279 | 0% |
| DEXA scan | 351 | 0% |
The six-week point is where the NHS counts a diagnostic wait as a breach; at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells the longest was flexible sigmoidoscopy, with 37% past it and 272 people in the queue.
Skip the 13-week wait
Waiting 13 weeks for ENT at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells 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 Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells? 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 ENT 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.