At a glance: 34,995 people were waiting for NHS treatment at The Princess Alexandra Hospital in June 2026, spread across 13 specialties, and 364 of them had already waited more than a year. The hardest specialty to be seen quickly was oral surgery — only 49% of patients seen within the 18-week target and a median wait of 18 weeks — while dermatology was quickest at 92%.
Treatment waiting times at The Princess Alexandra Hospital
| Specialty | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year | Median wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral surgery | 1,704 | 49% | 50 | 18 weeks |
| Trauma & orthopaedics | 5,374 | 56% | 40 | 15 weeks |
| Gastroenterology | 2,884 | 62% | 24 | 14 weeks |
| Rheumatology | 1,254 | 65% | 4 | 13 weeks |
| ENT | 3,267 | 67% | 102 | 11 weeks |
| Urology | 2,798 | 69% | 9 | 12 weeks |
| General surgery | 3,854 | 70% | 24 | 10 weeks |
| Cardiology | 3,939 | 70% | 13 | 12 weeks |
| Ophthalmology | 2,949 | 71% | 40 | 11 weeks |
| Gynaecology | 3,176 | 74% | 54 | 10 weeks |
| Respiratory medicine | 862 | 77% | 0 | 10 weeks |
| Neurology | 1,160 | 78% | 2 | 9 weeks |
| Dermatology | 1,774 | 92% | 2 | 6 weeks |
Diagnostic test waiting times at The Princess Alexandra Hospital
| Test | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Audiology | 1,352 | 76% |
| MRI | 3,336 | 45% |
| Ultrasound | 5,906 | 26% |
| Colonoscopy | 234 | 26% |
| CT | 856 | 12% |
| Gastroscopy | 60 | 12% |
| Echocardiography | 506 | 7% |
The six-week point is where the NHS counts a diagnostic wait as a breach; at The Princess Alexandra Hospital the longest was audiology, with 76% past it and 1,352 people in the queue.
Skip the 18-week wait
Waiting 18 weeks for oral surgery at The Princess Alexandra Hospital 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 Princess Alexandra Hospital? 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 oral 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.