Respiratory medicine covers lung conditions such as asthma, COPD and breathlessness. At the end of June 2026, 184,332 people in England were waiting for respiratory medicine treatment. Just 74% were seen within the 18-week target, and 685 had already waited more than a year — the sort of queue private treatment can skip for anything you are not already being treated for.
Where respiratory medicine waits are worst
| NHS trust | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Warwickshire University | 1,122 | 47% | 29 |
| York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals | 3,056 | 49% | 42 |
| East Kent Hospitals University | 4,916 | 50% | 55 |
| East Cheshire | 1,137 | 51% | 79 |
| Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals | 2,411 | 55% | 2 |
| The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, | 908 | 56% | 0 |
| Wirral University Teaching Hospital | 3,904 | 57% | 6 |
| Blackpool Teaching Hospitals | 1,120 | 59% | 22 |
| Great Western Hospitals | 861 | 59% | 4 |
| Medway | 911 | 60% | 0 |
| Guy's and St Thomas' | 10,097 | 62% | 23 |
| London North West University Healthcare | 3,454 | 62% | 0 |
The 18-week target is the point at which the NHS says treatment should have started. In the trusts above, most respiratory medicine patients had already waited longer.
Skip the queue with private treatment
Nobody wants to spend months on a respiratory medicine waiting list. Private cover can have you seen by a consultant in days, not months. It will not pay for a condition you are already waiting on, so arrange it before a problem starts — compare cover, see if it is worth it, or get a free quote.
Frequently asked questions
What does private respiratory medicine cost? Private hospitals publish self-pay prices, and cover pays for treatment arranged before symptoms begin.
Can I switch to private care once I am on the NHS list? You can pay privately at any time, but insurance will not cover a condition you are already waiting to have treated — that is why cover is worth arranging while you are well.
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.