At a glance: 31,534 people were waiting for NHS treatment at Royal United Hospitals Bath in June 2026, spread across 14 specialties, and 90 of them had already waited more than a year. The hardest specialty to be seen quickly was neurology — only 48% of patients seen within the 18-week target and a median wait of 19 weeks — while elderly medicine was quickest at 96%.
Treatment waiting times at Royal United Hospitals Bath
| Specialty | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year | Median wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neurology | 1,624 | 48% | 1 | 19 weeks |
| ENT | 2,884 | 54% | 16 | 16 weeks |
| Oral surgery | 3,233 | 56% | 8 | 16 weeks |
| General surgery | 3,773 | 60% | 32 | 15 weeks |
| Trauma & orthopaedics | 2,183 | 65% | 11 | 12 weeks |
| Cardiology | 3,770 | 69% | 7 | 12 weeks |
| Rheumatology | 1,418 | 71% | 0 | 10 weeks |
| Urology | 1,879 | 72% | 8 | 11 weeks |
| Gynaecology | 2,679 | 80% | 3 | 10 weeks |
| Dermatology | 2,383 | 81% | 2 | 6 weeks |
| Gastroenterology | 2,243 | 86% | 2 | 9 weeks |
| Ophthalmology | 2,754 | 88% | 0 | 7 weeks |
| Respiratory medicine | 546 | 90% | 0 | 7 weeks |
| Elderly medicine | 165 | 96% | 0 | 5 weeks |
Diagnostic test waiting times at Royal United Hospitals Bath
| Test | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Nerve conduction studies | 74 | 36% |
| Flexible sigmoidoscopy | 105 | 29% |
| Audiology | 527 | 27% |
| Colonoscopy | 384 | 27% |
| Gastroscopy | 299 | 21% |
| Echocardiography | 410 | 18% |
| DEXA scan | 750 | 17% |
| Ultrasound | 3,529 | 11% |
| MRI | 1,338 | 5% |
| CT | 1,389 | 2% |
| Cystoscopy | 56 | 2% |
The six-week point is where the NHS counts a diagnostic wait as a breach; at Royal United Hospitals Bath the longest was nerve conduction studies, with 36% past it and 74 people in the queue.
Skip the 19-week wait
Waiting 19 weeks for neurology at Royal United Hospitals Bath 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 Royal United Hospitals Bath? 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 neurology 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.