At a glance: 56,693 people were waiting for NHS treatment at Royal Devon University Healthcare in June 2026, spread across 16 specialties, and 1,239 of them had already waited more than a year. The hardest specialty to be seen quickly was trauma & orthopaedics — only 49% of patients seen within the 18-week target and a median wait of 18 weeks — while elderly medicine was quickest at 86%.
Treatment waiting times at Royal Devon University Healthcare
| Specialty | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year | Median wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trauma & orthopaedics | 10,308 | 49% | 551 | 18 weeks |
| ENT | 4,859 | 53% | 74 | 16 weeks |
| Cardiology | 5,816 | 57% | 173 | 14 weeks |
| Gynaecology | 5,091 | 60% | 92 | 13 weeks |
| General surgery | 807 | 61% | 29 | 14 weeks |
| Ophthalmology | 8,932 | 63% | 160 | 13 weeks |
| General medicine | 115 | 63% | 0 | 11 weeks |
| Neurology | 1,706 | 64% | 14 | 13 weeks |
| Urology | 3,532 | 66% | 102 | 11 weeks |
| Oral surgery | 3,129 | 68% | 12 | 11 weeks |
| Dermatology | 5,571 | 68% | 14 | 9 weeks |
| Plastic surgery | 1,217 | 70% | 8 | 9 weeks |
| Respiratory medicine | 2,030 | 72% | 7 | 9 weeks |
| Rheumatology | 819 | 85% | 1 | 8 weeks |
| Gastroenterology | 2,432 | 86% | 1 | 7 weeks |
| Elderly medicine | 329 | 86% | 1 | 7 weeks |
Diagnostic test waiting times at Royal Devon University Healthcare
| Test | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| DEXA scan | 1,615 | 64% |
| Urodynamics | 213 | 59% |
| Sleep studies | 701 | 47% |
| Audiology | 2,253 | 45% |
| MRI | 4,835 | 44% |
| Echocardiography | 2,493 | 43% |
| Colonoscopy | 845 | 36% |
| Flexible sigmoidoscopy | 306 | 34% |
| Ultrasound | 4,632 | 30% |
| Cystoscopy | 321 | 30% |
| Nerve conduction studies | 736 | 27% |
| Gastroscopy | 725 | 25% |
| CT | 1,782 | 13% |
| Barium enema | 55 | 2% |
The six-week point is where the NHS counts a diagnostic wait as a breach; at Royal Devon University Healthcare the longest was DEXA scan, with 64% past it and 1,615 people in the queue.
Skip the 18-week wait
Waiting 18 weeks for trauma & orthopaedics at Royal Devon University Healthcare is a long time to be in pain or limbo. A self-pay hip replacement costs around £16,225, 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 Royal Devon University Healthcare? 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 trauma & orthopaedics 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.