At a glance: 56,456 people were waiting for NHS treatment at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals in June 2026, spread across 14 specialties, and 1,784 of them had already waited more than a year. The hardest specialty to be seen quickly was plastic surgery — only 46% of patients seen within the 18-week target and a median wait of 20 weeks — while neurology was quickest at 75%.
Treatment waiting times at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals
| Specialty | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year | Median wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic surgery | 1,534 | 46% | 93 | 20 weeks |
| Trauma & orthopaedics | 9,210 | 49% | 866 | 18 weeks |
| Gynaecology | 5,983 | 55% | 332 | 16 weeks |
| Urology | 4,557 | 58% | 157 | 15 weeks |
| General surgery | 4,229 | 59% | 106 | 13 weeks |
| Cardiology | 4,257 | 61% | 42 | 14 weeks |
| ENT | 5,637 | 66% | 55 | 13 weeks |
| Ophthalmology | 6,353 | 66% | 44 | 12 weeks |
| Gastroenterology | 3,285 | 67% | 12 | 10 weeks |
| Respiratory medicine | 1,482 | 68% | 4 | 10 weeks |
| Oral surgery | 1,831 | 68% | 40 | 11 weeks |
| Dermatology | 4,715 | 70% | 31 | 11 weeks |
| Rheumatology | 1,197 | 70% | 0 | 11 weeks |
| Neurology | 2,186 | 75% | 2 | 10 weeks |
Diagnostic test waiting times at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals
| Test | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Urodynamics | 313 | 77% |
| Nerve conduction studies | 566 | 58% |
| Echocardiography | 2,770 | 57% |
| Cystoscopy | 430 | 54% |
| Audiology | 357 | 49% |
| Sleep studies | 261 | 42% |
| Flexible sigmoidoscopy | 394 | 37% |
| Gastroscopy | 839 | 29% |
| Colonoscopy | 987 | 24% |
| Ultrasound | 4,994 | 16% |
| MRI | 4,301 | 12% |
| Barium enema | 107 | 4% |
| DEXA scan | 791 | 2% |
| CT | 1,998 | 1% |
The six-week point is where the NHS counts a diagnostic wait as a breach; at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals the longest was urodynamics, with 77% past it and 313 people in the queue.
Skip the 20-week wait
Waiting 20 weeks for plastic surgery at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals 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 Norfolk and Norwich University 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 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.