NHS Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery Waiting Times
The average NHS Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery wait in England is 24 weeks, but it ranges from 6 weeks at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust to 48 weeks elsewhere. That gap is yours to use — you have a legal right to choose where you are treated.
What Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery covers
Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery covers the oesophagus (gullet), stomach and, at many trusts, the gallbladder. It is where anti-reflux surgery, hiatus hernia repair, stomach surgery and a large share of gallbladder removals are done. If you have been told you need your gallbladder out, your operation may sit on this list, the General Surgery list, or the Hepatobiliary list, depending on the hospital — so compare all three.
People are usually referred here for
- Gallstones or gallbladder removal
- Severe reflux or a hiatus hernia
- Swallowing difficulty
- A gastroscopy result needing a surgeon
- Stomach or oesophageal surgery
24w
Avg treatment wait
6w
Shortest wait
48w
Longest wait
59
Hospitals reporting
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Shortest Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery waits in England
| # | Hospital | Region | Avg treatment wait |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust | London | 6w |
| 02 | The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King`s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust | East of England | 10w |
| 03 | Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 12w |
| 04 | University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust | South West | 12w |
| 05 | University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust | South West | 12w |
| 06 | Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 12w |
| 07 | Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 14w |
| 08 | Royal Berkshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | South East | 14w |
| 09 | Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | North East & Yorkshire | 14w |
| 10 | Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust | Midlands | 14w |
Average Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery wait by region
Procedures treated under Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery
Waiting lists are recorded by specialty, so all of these share the Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery wait times above.
Browse all conditions →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 Upper Gastrointestinal 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 Upper Gastrointestinal 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.
Read the full Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery Right to Choose guide →Ready to find a shorter Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery wait?
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