At a glance: 81,422 people were waiting for NHS treatment at University Hospitals of Leicester in June 2026, spread across 18 specialties, and 2,024 of them had already waited more than a year. The hardest specialty to be seen quickly was neurology — only 38% of patients seen within the 18-week target and a median wait of 22 weeks — while general medicine was quickest at 100%.
Treatment waiting times at University Hospitals of Leicester
| Specialty | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year | Median wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neurology | 3,754 | 38% | 20 | 22 weeks |
| Trauma & orthopaedics | 11,874 | 40% | 832 | 22 weeks |
| Oral surgery | 6,917 | 46% | 401 | 20 weeks |
| Neurosurgery | 170 | 47% | 2 | 19 weeks |
| Rheumatology | 4,010 | 48% | 60 | 19 weeks |
| Plastic surgery | 1,210 | 49% | 80 | 18 weeks |
| ENT | 7,174 | 52% | 240 | 16 weeks |
| Gastroenterology | 4,714 | 59% | 123 | 15 weeks |
| Gynaecology | 9,636 | 60% | 145 | 14 weeks |
| Cardiology | 5,957 | 67% | 11 | 11 weeks |
| General surgery | 6,395 | 68% | 76 | 12 weeks |
| Ophthalmology | 10,074 | 75% | 27 | 8 weeks |
| Cardiothoracic surgery | 462 | 77% | 3 | 9 weeks |
| Urology | 3,532 | 79% | 3 | 7 weeks |
| Respiratory medicine | 2,358 | 82% | 0 | 9 weeks |
| Elderly medicine | 573 | 84% | 0 | 7 weeks |
| Dermatology | 2,428 | 92% | 1 | 4 weeks |
| General medicine | 184 | 100% | 0 | 1 weeks |
Diagnostic test waiting times at University Hospitals of Leicester
| Test | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Urodynamics | 395 | 56% |
| Cystoscopy | 342 | 48% |
| Sleep studies | 753 | 46% |
| Echocardiography | 1,736 | 33% |
| Gastroscopy | 670 | 25% |
| Colonoscopy | 776 | 22% |
| Flexible sigmoidoscopy | 276 | 21% |
| Audiology | 1,278 | 17% |
| MRI | 6,189 | 10% |
| CT | 3,797 | 5% |
| Ultrasound | 5,364 | 3% |
| DEXA scan | 1,065 | 0% |
| Nerve conduction studies | 109 | 0% |
The six-week point is where the NHS counts a diagnostic wait as a breach; at University Hospitals of Leicester the longest was urodynamics, with 56% past it and 395 people in the queue.
Skip the 22-week wait
Waiting 22 weeks for neurology at University Hospitals of Leicester 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 University Hospitals of Leicester? 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.