At a glance: 56,573 people were waiting for NHS treatment at The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals in June 2026, spread across 18 specialties, and 538 of them had already waited more than a year. The hardest specialty to be seen quickly was cardiothoracic surgery — only 47% of patients seen within the 18-week target and a median wait of 19 weeks — while elderly medicine was quickest at 98%.
Treatment waiting times at The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals
| Specialty | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year | Median wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiothoracic surgery | 93 | 47% | 6 | 19 weeks |
| Trauma & orthopaedics | 7,773 | 62% | 264 | 12 weeks |
| Plastic surgery | 1,497 | 63% | 17 | 12 weeks |
| Urology | 3,230 | 66% | 17 | 10 weeks |
| Dermatology | 8,657 | 68% | 2 | 10 weeks |
| Neurosurgery | 1,355 | 71% | 23 | 10 weeks |
| Oral surgery | 2,422 | 72% | 0 | 11 weeks |
| General surgery | 945 | 74% | 25 | 9 weeks |
| Cardiology | 2,799 | 77% | 39 | 10 weeks |
| ENT | 8,706 | 79% | 10 | 9 weeks |
| Ophthalmology | 9,778 | 81% | 115 | 7 weeks |
| General medicine | 921 | 84% | 0 | 8 weeks |
| Neurology | 2,007 | 85% | 2 | 8 weeks |
| Gynaecology | 3,648 | 88% | 15 | 7 weeks |
| Gastroenterology | 952 | 90% | 3 | 6 weeks |
| Rheumatology | 742 | 93% | 0 | 7 weeks |
| Respiratory medicine | 830 | 94% | 0 | 5 weeks |
| Elderly medicine | 218 | 98% | 0 | 4 weeks |
Diagnostic test waiting times at The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals
| Test | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Echocardiography | 2,943 | 46% |
| Colonoscopy | 544 | 36% |
| Flexible sigmoidoscopy | 224 | 35% |
| Gastroscopy | 646 | 33% |
| MRI | 4,233 | 26% |
| Cystoscopy | 266 | 26% |
| Audiology | 1,094 | 12% |
| DEXA scan | 655 | 8% |
| Ultrasound | 4,642 | 7% |
| CT | 2,411 | 5% |
| Nerve conduction studies | 230 | 1% |
The six-week point is where the NHS counts a diagnostic wait as a breach; at The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals the longest was echocardiography, with 46% past it and 2,943 people in the queue.
Skip the 19-week wait
Waiting 19 weeks for cardiothoracic surgery at The Newcastle Upon Tyne 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 The Newcastle Upon Tyne 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 cardiothoracic surgery 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.