At a glance: 38,235 people were waiting for NHS treatment at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals in June 2026, spread across 14 specialties, and 331 of them had already waited more than a year. The hardest specialty to be seen quickly was ENT — only 47% of patients seen within the 18-week target and a median wait of 19 weeks — while elderly medicine was quickest at 95%.
Treatment waiting times at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals
| Specialty | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year | Median wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENT | 3,176 | 47% | 160 | 19 weeks |
| Trauma & orthopaedics | 4,826 | 55% | 57 | 15 weeks |
| General surgery | 3,257 | 57% | 19 | 15 weeks |
| Oral surgery | 2,803 | 57% | 54 | 15 weeks |
| Ophthalmology | 3,392 | 63% | 32 | 13 weeks |
| Gynaecology | 2,218 | 71% | 5 | 9 weeks |
| Rheumatology | 1,052 | 71% | 0 | 10 weeks |
| Urology | 2,797 | 72% | 4 | 11 weeks |
| Neurology | 1,293 | 75% | 0 | 11 weeks |
| Cardiology | 4,664 | 77% | 0 | 10 weeks |
| Dermatology | 3,696 | 84% | 0 | 9 weeks |
| Respiratory medicine | 1,684 | 85% | 0 | 9 weeks |
| Gastroenterology | 3,319 | 88% | 0 | 9 weeks |
| Elderly medicine | 58 | 95% | 0 | 8 weeks |
Diagnostic test waiting times at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals
| Test | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Nerve conduction studies | 286 | 64% |
| Audiology | 1,688 | 63% |
| Cystoscopy | 315 | 50% |
| Ultrasound | 10,190 | 33% |
| Colonoscopy | 680 | 9% |
| Flexible sigmoidoscopy | 220 | 9% |
| Gastroscopy | 652 | 9% |
| MRI | 2,157 | 7% |
| Echocardiography | 1,245 | 5% |
| DEXA scan | 1,988 | 4% |
| Urodynamics | 50 | 2% |
| CT | 1,569 | 0% |
| Barium enema | 59 | 0% |
The six-week point is where the NHS counts a diagnostic wait as a breach; at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals the longest was nerve conduction studies, with 64% past it and 286 people in the queue.
Skip the 19-week wait
Waiting 19 weeks for ENT at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals 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 West Hertfordshire Teaching 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 ENT 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.