At a glance: 23,078 people were waiting for NHS treatment at Mid Cheshire Hospitals in June 2026, spread across 11 specialties, and 214 of them had already waited more than a year. The hardest specialty to be seen quickly was gastroenterology — only 42% of patients seen within the 18-week target and a median wait of 21 weeks — while respiratory medicine was quickest at 85%.
Treatment waiting times at Mid Cheshire Hospitals
| Specialty | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year | Median wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gastroenterology | 1,611 | 42% | 42 | 21 weeks |
| General surgery | 1,208 | 51% | 32 | 17 weeks |
| Rheumatology | 1,005 | 54% | 6 | 15 weeks |
| Trauma & orthopaedics | 3,100 | 60% | 33 | 14 weeks |
| Gynaecology | 2,294 | 62% | 79 | 13 weeks |
| ENT | 4,662 | 63% | 13 | 13 weeks |
| Dermatology | 3,443 | 79% | 1 | 8 weeks |
| Ophthalmology | 2,545 | 82% | 3 | 7 weeks |
| Cardiology | 1,390 | 82% | 1 | 8 weeks |
| Urology | 1,581 | 83% | 3 | 8 weeks |
| Respiratory medicine | 239 | 85% | 1 | 6 weeks |
Diagnostic test waiting times at Mid Cheshire Hospitals
| Test | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Audiology | 916 | 43% |
| Flexible sigmoidoscopy | 238 | 34% |
| Gastroscopy | 435 | 34% |
| Cystoscopy | 270 | 33% |
| Colonoscopy | 454 | 30% |
| Echocardiography | 642 | 10% |
| CT | 797 | 3% |
| DEXA scan | 339 | 3% |
| MRI | 1,934 | 2% |
| Ultrasound | 2,680 | 2% |
The six-week point is where the NHS counts a diagnostic wait as a breach; at Mid Cheshire Hospitals the longest was audiology, with 43% past it and 916 people in the queue.
Skip the 21-week wait
Waiting 21 weeks for gastroenterology at Mid Cheshire Hospitals is a long time to be in pain or limbo. A self-pay colonoscopy costs around £2,795, and private medical insurance covers treatment like it in full — usually within weeks, not 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 Cheshire Hospitals? 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 gastroenterology 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.