Do you have any idea what the NHS waiting time is/will be?
⏱️ Average Waiting Times
England-wide averages: Roughly 57 weeks (about 13 months) for 9 out of 10 hernia patients from GP referral to surgery
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Longest waits: Some hospitals like Queen Elizabeth Birmingham report delays of up to 82–85 weeks
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Quickest trusts: Newcastle’s Royal Victoria has waits as short as 18 weeks
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📊 Regional & Hospital Variability
2020–21 data: Average waiting time in England was 191 days (~27 weeks)
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Consultation stage: Waiting for the first general surgery consultation ranges from 8 to 23 weeks depending on your hospital (e.g., 8 weeks in East Cheshire vs 23 weeks in Royal Free London
😞 Real-World Patient Experiences
Some patients report multiple-year waits—both in personal accounts and on Reddit—citing 3–5 years on the list before surgery, and in some cases needing emergency operation when the hernia became strangulated
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On Reddit, users in Northern Ireland mention waits of 4–5 years, while some in England report around 3 years
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🏥 Efforts to Reduce the Backlog
Standby lists are being used to fill last-minute cancellations, helping some patients get surgery months earlier
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High-Intensity Theatre (HIT) sessions (e.g. at Guy’s & St Thomas’) cluster many hernia ops into single days, significantly boosting throughput
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Robotic-assisted keyhole surgery is expanding, with potential to speed up recovery and free capacity, though full impact will be over the next decade
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