At a glance: 20,804 people were waiting for NHS treatment at Whittington Health in June 2026, spread across 15 specialties, and 81 of them had already waited more than a year. The hardest specialty to be seen quickly was dermatology — only 33% of patients seen within the 18-week target and a median wait of 23 weeks — while elderly medicine was quickest at 100%.
Treatment waiting times at Whittington Health
| Specialty | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year | Median wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dermatology | 1,740 | 33% | 0 | 23 weeks |
| Plastic surgery | 131 | 52% | 0 | 17 weeks |
| Gynaecology | 3,165 | 60% | 19 | 13 weeks |
| ENT | 2,366 | 62% | 0 | 14 weeks |
| General surgery | 4,110 | 63% | 60 | 13 weeks |
| Oral surgery | 123 | 69% | 1 | 10 weeks |
| Neurology | 881 | 74% | 0 | 11 weeks |
| Urology | 1,852 | 76% | 0 | 10 weeks |
| Cardiology | 846 | 77% | 1 | 10 weeks |
| Trauma & orthopaedics | 2,202 | 78% | 0 | 8 weeks |
| Ophthalmology | 1,133 | 81% | 0 | 8 weeks |
| Gastroenterology | 1,185 | 84% | 0 | 7 weeks |
| Respiratory medicine | 701 | 90% | 0 | 6 weeks |
| Rheumatology | 293 | 91% | 0 | 6 weeks |
| Elderly medicine | 76 | 100% | 0 | 4 weeks |
Diagnostic test waiting times at Whittington Health
| Test | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Nerve conduction studies | 1,251 | 75% |
| Sleep studies | 52 | 62% |
| Audiology | 937 | 56% |
| Echocardiography | 352 | 19% |
| MRI | 1,632 | 7% |
| Ultrasound | 3,185 | 1% |
| Gastroscopy | 315 | 1% |
| CT | 407 | 0% |
| DEXA scan | 343 | 0% |
| Colonoscopy | 186 | 0% |
The six-week point is where the NHS counts a diagnostic wait as a breach; at Whittington Health the longest was nerve conduction studies, with 75% past it and 1,251 people in the queue.
Skip the 23-week wait
Waiting 23 weeks for dermatology at Whittington Health 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 Whittington Health? 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 dermatology 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.