At a glance: 26,467 people were waiting for NHS treatment at North Cumbria Integrated Care in June 2026, spread across 15 specialties, and 350 of them had already waited more than a year. The hardest specialty to be seen quickly was gynaecology — only 50% of patients seen within the 18-week target and a median wait of 18 weeks — while oral surgery was quickest at 83%.
Treatment waiting times at North Cumbria Integrated Care
| Specialty | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year | Median wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gynaecology | 3,663 | 50% | 181 | 18 weeks |
| General surgery | 1,162 | 52% | 42 | 17 weeks |
| Rheumatology | 1,373 | 56% | 0 | 15 weeks |
| Trauma & orthopaedics | 2,798 | 60% | 35 | 14 weeks |
| Cardiology | 2,805 | 60% | 58 | 14 weeks |
| Respiratory medicine | 688 | 63% | 0 | 12 weeks |
| Neurology | 1,358 | 63% | 3 | 13 weeks |
| General medicine | 116 | 66% | 0 | 10 weeks |
| Gastroenterology | 1,553 | 67% | 11 | 13 weeks |
| Urology | 2,206 | 68% | 9 | 11 weeks |
| ENT | 3,504 | 69% | 11 | 12 weeks |
| Elderly medicine | 287 | 71% | 0 | 11 weeks |
| Dermatology | 1,905 | 75% | 0 | 7 weeks |
| Ophthalmology | 2,061 | 81% | 0 | 9 weeks |
| Oral surgery | 988 | 83% | 0 | 9 weeks |
Diagnostic test waiting times at North Cumbria Integrated Care
| Test | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Sleep studies | 1,082 | 81% |
| Nerve conduction studies | 450 | 51% |
| Cystoscopy | 110 | 35% |
| Audiology | 488 | 17% |
| Gastroscopy | 315 | 15% |
| Ultrasound | 2,742 | 11% |
| Colonoscopy | 368 | 10% |
| Flexible sigmoidoscopy | 97 | 9% |
| MRI | 1,755 | 6% |
| Echocardiography | 503 | 5% |
| CT | 1,531 | 1% |
| DEXA scan | 432 | 0% |
The six-week point is where the NHS counts a diagnostic wait as a breach; at North Cumbria Integrated Care the longest was sleep studies, with 81% past it and 1,082 people in the queue.
Skip the 18-week wait
Waiting 18 weeks for gynaecology at North Cumbria Integrated Care is a long time to be in pain or limbo. A self-pay hysteroscopy costs around £3,119, 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 North Cumbria Integrated Care? 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 gynaecology 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.