At a glance: 52,408 people were waiting for NHS treatment at University College London Hospitals in June 2026, spread across 15 specialties, and 719 of them had already waited more than a year. The hardest specialty to be seen quickly was gynaecology — only 51% of patients seen within the 18-week target and a median wait of 17 weeks — while elderly medicine was quickest at 97%.
Treatment waiting times at University College London Hospitals
| Specialty | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year | Median wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gynaecology | 5,846 | 51% | 363 | 17 weeks |
| General medicine | 5,973 | 52% | 35 | 17 weeks |
| Urology | 5,006 | 54% | 105 | 16 weeks |
| ENT | 6,953 | 60% | 53 | 14 weeks |
| Neurosurgery | 3,546 | 63% | 94 | 13 weeks |
| Dermatology | 2,742 | 64% | 29 | 12 weeks |
| Rheumatology | 935 | 64% | 27 | 12 weeks |
| Oral surgery | 7,017 | 70% | 4 | 10 weeks |
| Cardiology | 805 | 70% | 1 | 10 weeks |
| Neurology | 5,505 | 71% | 6 | 10 weeks |
| Trauma & orthopaedics | 3,338 | 76% | 2 | 8 weeks |
| Gastroenterology | 3,776 | 83% | 0 | 7 weeks |
| General surgery | 58 | 84% | 0 | 8 weeks |
| Respiratory medicine | 843 | 89% | 0 | 6 weeks |
| Elderly medicine | 65 | 97% | 0 | 6 weeks |
Diagnostic test waiting times at University College London Hospitals
| Test | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Nerve conduction studies | 1,740 | 71% |
| Urodynamics | 218 | 61% |
| Barium enema | 203 | 37% |
| MRI | 7,745 | 35% |
| Sleep studies | 349 | 30% |
| Cystoscopy | 273 | 28% |
| Ultrasound | 2,202 | 7% |
| Audiology | 95 | 6% |
| Flexible sigmoidoscopy | 55 | 4% |
| DEXA scan | 144 | 3% |
| Gastroscopy | 335 | 3% |
| CT | 1,813 | 2% |
| Echocardiography | 565 | 2% |
| Colonoscopy | 336 | 2% |
The six-week point is where the NHS counts a diagnostic wait as a breach; at University College London Hospitals the longest was nerve conduction studies, with 71% past it and 1,740 people in the queue.
Skip the 17-week wait
Waiting 17 weeks for gynaecology at University College London Hospitals is a long time to be in pain or limbo. A self-pay hysteroscopy costs around £3,119, 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 University College London 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 gynaecology 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.