At a glance: 134,481 people were waiting for NHS treatment at Mid and South Essex in June 2026, spread across 17 specialties, and 10,935 of them had already waited more than a year. The hardest specialty to be seen quickly was neurosurgery — only 30% of patients seen within the 18-week target and a median wait of 29 weeks — while elderly medicine was quickest at 77%.
Treatment waiting times at Mid and South Essex
| Specialty | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year | Median wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neurosurgery | 56 | 30% | 3 | 29 weeks |
| Trauma & orthopaedics | 13,260 | 31% | 2,523 | 28 weeks |
| Oral surgery | 7,057 | 35% | 1,018 | 27 weeks |
| ENT | 15,733 | 38% | 2,363 | 24 weeks |
| Dermatology | 9,849 | 39% | 883 | 23 weeks |
| Plastic surgery | 6,613 | 45% | 649 | 20 weeks |
| Rheumatology | 2,273 | 48% | 236 | 19 weeks |
| General surgery | 8,646 | 48% | 779 | 19 weeks |
| Gynaecology | 14,083 | 50% | 589 | 17 weeks |
| Urology | 10,669 | 53% | 722 | 16 weeks |
| Neurology | 5,637 | 53% | 99 | 16 weeks |
| Gastroenterology | 9,529 | 53% | 431 | 16 weeks |
| Ophthalmology | 13,673 | 60% | 458 | 13 weeks |
| Respiratory medicine | 4,204 | 62% | 22 | 13 weeks |
| General medicine | 2,292 | 67% | 60 | 11 weeks |
| Cardiology | 10,250 | 67% | 90 | 13 weeks |
| Elderly medicine | 657 | 77% | 10 | 7 weeks |
Diagnostic test waiting times at Mid and South Essex
| Test | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Nerve conduction studies | 1,122 | 82% |
| Flexible sigmoidoscopy | 620 | 70% |
| Echocardiography | 6,926 | 67% |
| Gastroscopy | 1,466 | 66% |
| Colonoscopy | 2,114 | 62% |
| Cystoscopy | 467 | 61% |
| DEXA scan | 1,367 | 57% |
| Sleep studies | 508 | 47% |
| Ultrasound | 4,309 | 29% |
| MRI | 7,384 | 23% |
| Audiology | 1,532 | 11% |
| CT | 2,450 | 4% |
The six-week point is where the NHS counts a diagnostic wait as a breach; at Mid and South Essex the longest was nerve conduction studies, with 82% past it and 1,122 people in the queue.
Skip the 29-week wait
Waiting 29 weeks for neurosurgery at Mid and South Essex 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 Mid and South Essex? 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 neurosurgery 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.