At a glance: 27,996 people were waiting for NHS treatment at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay in June 2026, spread across 15 specialties, and 571 of them had already waited more than a year. The hardest specialty to be seen quickly was general surgery — only 49% of patients seen within the 18-week target and a median wait of 18 weeks — while plastic surgery was quickest at 97%.
Treatment waiting times at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay
| Specialty | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year | Median wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General surgery | 2,239 | 49% | 54 | 18 weeks |
| Trauma & orthopaedics | 6,107 | 63% | 277 | 12 weeks |
| Oral surgery | 2,307 | 64% | 26 | 13 weeks |
| Gynaecology | 2,668 | 68% | 57 | 11 weeks |
| Urology | 2,311 | 69% | 45 | 10 weeks |
| Rheumatology | 945 | 72% | 10 | 10 weeks |
| ENT | 3,595 | 73% | 49 | 10 weeks |
| Gastroenterology | 2,387 | 78% | 4 | 8 weeks |
| Ophthalmology | 2,511 | 82% | 41 | 8 weeks |
| General medicine | 109 | 83% | 3 | 4 weeks |
| Cardiology | 777 | 85% | 5 | 6 weeks |
| Dermatology | 1,311 | 95% | 0 | 4 weeks |
| Respiratory medicine | 490 | 95% | 0 | 5 weeks |
| Elderly medicine | 175 | 96% | 0 | 4 weeks |
| Plastic surgery | 64 | 97% | 0 | 3 weeks |
Diagnostic test waiting times at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay
| Test | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Echocardiography | 1,400 | 28% |
| Ultrasound | 3,713 | 16% |
| Urodynamics | 82 | 15% |
| CT | 1,282 | 11% |
| Colonoscopy | 191 | 5% |
| Cystoscopy | 95 | 5% |
| Audiology | 587 | 4% |
| Barium enema | 69 | 3% |
| Flexible sigmoidoscopy | 77 | 3% |
| MRI | 1,746 | 1% |
| Nerve conduction studies | 175 | 1% |
| Sleep studies | 321 | 1% |
| Gastroscopy | 335 | 1% |
| DEXA scan | 438 | 0% |
The six-week point is where the NHS counts a diagnostic wait as a breach; at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay the longest was echocardiography, with 28% past it and 1,400 people in the queue.
Skip the 18-week wait
Waiting 18 weeks for general surgery at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay is a long time to be in pain or limbo. A self-pay hernia repair costs around £3,668, 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 Hospitals of Morecambe Bay? 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 general 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.