At a glance: 43,093 people were waiting for NHS treatment at University Hospital Southampton in June 2026, spread across 17 specialties, and 1,166 of them had already waited more than a year. The hardest specialty to be seen quickly was trauma & orthopaedics — only 52% of patients seen within the 18-week target and a median wait of 17 weeks — while elderly medicine was quickest at 95%.
Treatment waiting times at University Hospital Southampton
| Specialty | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year | Median wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trauma & orthopaedics | 3,977 | 52% | 121 | 17 weeks |
| Gynaecology | 4,212 | 53% | 310 | 16 weeks |
| Oral surgery | 2,496 | 53% | 111 | 16 weeks |
| General surgery | 765 | 57% | 60 | 15 weeks |
| Neurology | 6,118 | 57% | 174 | 15 weeks |
| Urology | 2,428 | 58% | 177 | 15 weeks |
| ENT | 1,718 | 61% | 75 | 12 weeks |
| Dermatology | 5,743 | 68% | 65 | 10 weeks |
| Ophthalmology | 6,870 | 70% | 29 | 10 weeks |
| Neurosurgery | 1,134 | 70% | 4 | 11 weeks |
| Cardiology | 3,754 | 72% | 32 | 10 weeks |
| Gastroenterology | 1,318 | 78% | 0 | 9 weeks |
| Cardiothoracic surgery | 511 | 79% | 2 | 7 weeks |
| Rheumatology | 741 | 80% | 0 | 8 weeks |
| General medicine | 148 | 84% | 5 | 6 weeks |
| Respiratory medicine | 886 | 85% | 1 | 7 weeks |
| Elderly medicine | 274 | 95% | 0 | 6 weeks |
Diagnostic test waiting times at University Hospital Southampton
| Test | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Cystoscopy | 481 | 59% |
| Nerve conduction studies | 1,075 | 48% |
| Echocardiography | 727 | 34% |
| Flexible sigmoidoscopy | 81 | 26% |
| Gastroscopy | 273 | 24% |
| Colonoscopy | 345 | 20% |
| Sleep studies | 307 | 19% |
| CT | 1,188 | 14% |
| MRI | 1,857 | 13% |
| Ultrasound | 3,503 | 13% |
| Barium enema | 119 | 13% |
| DEXA scan | 528 | 3% |
| Audiology | 300 | 0% |
The six-week point is where the NHS counts a diagnostic wait as a breach; at University Hospital Southampton the longest was cystoscopy, with 59% past it and 481 people in the queue.
Skip the 17-week wait
Waiting 17 weeks for trauma & orthopaedics at University Hospital Southampton is a long time to be in pain or limbo. A self-pay hip replacement costs around £16,225, 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 Hospital Southampton? 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 trauma & orthopaedics 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.