At a glance: 31,391 people were waiting for NHS treatment at Wirral University Teaching Hospital in June 2026, spread across 14 specialties, and 274 of them had already waited more than a year. The hardest specialty to be seen quickly was rheumatology — only 49% of patients seen within the 18-week target and a median wait of 18 weeks — while elderly medicine was quickest at 96%.
Treatment waiting times at Wirral University Teaching Hospital
| Specialty | People waiting | Seen within 18 weeks | Waiting over a year | Median wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rheumatology | 1,290 | 49% | 100 | 18 weeks |
| Oral surgery | 2,496 | 52% | 15 | 17 weeks |
| Trauma & orthopaedics | 2,614 | 53% | 20 | 16 weeks |
| ENT | 4,062 | 56% | 27 | 15 weeks |
| Respiratory medicine | 3,904 | 57% | 6 | 15 weeks |
| Ophthalmology | 3,431 | 62% | 14 | 14 weeks |
| Gastroenterology | 3,170 | 63% | 17 | 12 weeks |
| Dermatology | 3,241 | 63% | 63 | 11 weeks |
| Gynaecology | 3,040 | 63% | 9 | 13 weeks |
| Cardiology | 1,493 | 71% | 3 | 11 weeks |
| Urology | 2,032 | 75% | 0 | 9 weeks |
| General surgery | 391 | 81% | 0 | 9 weeks |
| General medicine | 60 | 82% | 0 | 3 weeks |
| Elderly medicine | 167 | 96% | 0 | 5 weeks |
Diagnostic test waiting times at Wirral University Teaching Hospital
| Test | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Flexible sigmoidoscopy | 114 | 26% |
| Colonoscopy | 443 | 22% |
| Gastroscopy | 442 | 15% |
| Cystoscopy | 260 | 12% |
| Echocardiography | 1,037 | 9% |
| Urodynamics | 51 | 8% |
| MRI | 1,368 | 3% |
| CT | 900 | 2% |
| Ultrasound | 3,409 | 2% |
| DEXA scan | 496 | 0% |
| Sleep studies | 460 | 0% |
The six-week point is where the NHS counts a diagnostic wait as a breach; at Wirral University Teaching Hospital the longest was flexible sigmoidoscopy, with 26% past it and 114 people in the queue.
Skip the 18-week wait
Waiting 18 weeks for rheumatology at Wirral University Teaching Hospital 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 Wirral University Teaching Hospital? 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 rheumatology 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.