At a glance: 40,500 people were waiting for NHS treatment at South Tees Hospitals in June 2026, spread across 17 specialties, and 369 of them had already waited more than a year. The hardest specialty to be seen quickly was neurology — only 55% of patients seen within the 18-week target and a median wait of 15 weeks — while elderly medicine was quickest at 100%.
Treatment waiting times at South Tees Hospitals
| Specialty | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year | Median wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neurology | 1,975 | 55% | 110 | 15 weeks |
| ENT | 7,052 | 56% | 68 | 15 weeks |
| Rheumatology | 1,430 | 59% | 0 | 14 weeks |
| General surgery | 1,921 | 64% | 14 | 13 weeks |
| Dermatology | 2,907 | 64% | 18 | 12 weeks |
| Gynaecology | 3,221 | 65% | 28 | 12 weeks |
| Plastic surgery | 2,096 | 66% | 27 | 11 weeks |
| Urology | 3,981 | 68% | 37 | 11 weeks |
| Trauma & orthopaedics | 5,559 | 69% | 26 | 11 weeks |
| Cardiology | 2,177 | 76% | 28 | 10 weeks |
| Neurosurgery | 987 | 78% | 5 | 10 weeks |
| Cardiothoracic surgery | 364 | 81% | 1 | 8 weeks |
| Ophthalmology | 3,963 | 83% | 2 | 9 weeks |
| Respiratory medicine | 1,012 | 89% | 0 | 7 weeks |
| General medicine | 99 | 93% | 0 | 3 weeks |
| Gastroenterology | 1,706 | 94% | 5 | 5 weeks |
| Elderly medicine | 50 | 100% | 0 | 4 weeks |
Diagnostic test waiting times at South Tees Hospitals
| Test | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Urodynamics | 204 | 93% |
| Sleep studies | 86 | 76% |
| Nerve conduction studies | 799 | 73% |
| Cystoscopy | 308 | 48% |
| Audiology | 952 | 37% |
| Colonoscopy | 208 | 7% |
| MRI | 2,063 | 6% |
| Flexible sigmoidoscopy | 72 | 6% |
| Gastroscopy | 330 | 6% |
| Echocardiography | 557 | 5% |
| Barium enema | 76 | 3% |
| CT | 930 | 1% |
| Ultrasound | 2,908 | 0% |
| DEXA scan | 330 | 0% |
The six-week point is where the NHS counts a diagnostic wait as a breach; at South Tees Hospitals the longest was urodynamics, with 93% past it and 204 people in the queue.
Skip the 15-week wait
Waiting 15 weeks for neurology at South Tees 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 South Tees 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 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.