NHS General Surgery Waiting Times

What General Surgery covers

General Surgery is the broad surgical department that covers hernias, gallbladder removal, appendix surgery, lumps and bumps, and abdominal pain that may need an operation. Many hospitals split their general surgeons into sub-specialty teams, so the same operation can sit on a different list depending on the trust — a gallbladder may be under General Surgery at one hospital and Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery at another. It is worth checking all of them, because the waits are often very different.

People are usually referred here for

• A hernia — inguinal, umbilical or incisional
• Gallstones or gallbladder removal
• Abdominal pain needing a surgical opinion
• Lumps, lipomas or skin lesions for removal
• Haemorrhoids or other anal problems
• An appendix or bowel problem

Procedures treated under General Surgery

Waiting lists are recorded by specialty, so all of these share the General Surgery wait times above.

Were you referred somewhere else?

The same problem is sometimes handled by a different department, and the wait can be very different. Check these too:

Your right to choose a General Surgery hospital

Under the NHS Constitution and the Health Act 2009, you have a legal right to choose which NHS or NHS-commissioned independent sector provider sees you for your first outpatient General Surgery appointment.

Your GP must refer you via the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS) and offer you at least five choices. If you have already been referred to a hospital with a long wait, you can ask your GP to re-refer you to a provider with a shorter wait. This is entirely within your rights.

Research shows the average extra distance to a significantly shorter wait is just 13 miles.