Urology covers the bladder, kidneys and prostate, including stones, incontinence and cancer checks. At the end of June 2026, 358,328 people in England were waiting for urology treatment. Just 65% were seen within the 18-week target, and 4,833 had already waited more than a year — the sort of queue private treatment can skip for anything you are not already being treated for.
Where urology waits are worst
| NHS trust | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackpool Teaching Hospitals | 2,397 | 49% | 82 |
| James Paget University Hospitals | 1,797 | 49% | 87 |
| University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire | 3,534 | 51% | 153 |
| Great Western Hospitals | 3,008 | 51% | 128 |
| Lewisham and Greenwich | 3,667 | 52% | 173 |
| Somerset | 2,940 | 52% | 150 |
| Guy's and St Thomas' | 5,793 | 53% | 101 |
| Mid and South Essex | 10,669 | 53% | 722 |
| The Royal Wolverhampton | 6,265 | 53% | 207 |
| Liverpool University Hospitals | 3,648 | 53% | 32 |
| Hull University Teaching Hospitals | 4,102 | 54% | 174 |
| University Hospitals Sussex | 6,082 | 54% | 190 |
The 18-week target is the point at which the NHS says treatment should have started. In the trusts above, most urology patients had already waited longer.
Skip the queue with private treatment
Nobody wants to spend months on a urology waiting list. A self-pay cystoscopy costs around £1,785, and cover pays for treatment like it in full, usually within weeks. It will not pay for a condition you are already waiting on, so arrange it before a problem starts — compare cover, see if it is worth it, or get a free quote.
Frequently asked questions
What does private urology cost? A common urology procedure such as cystoscopy costs around £1,785 self-pay, and private medical insurance covers it when arranged before symptoms begin.
Can I switch to private care once I am on the NHS list? You can pay privately at any time, but insurance will not cover a condition you are already waiting to have treated — that is why cover is worth arranging while you are well.
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.