UK · NHS England · Waiting lists

How to check where you are on the NHS waiting list, and what to do if you hear nothing

NHS pages read 31 October 2026 (Taipei time)

Check your NHS waiting list in the NHS App

1. Open Waiting listsLog in to the NHS App, select Appointments, then Waiting lists.
2. Read the likely waitThe screen shows the lists you are on and the likely time to treatment. That is an expected wait, not a booked date; nhs.uk links its guide to waiting times from the same help page.
3. If the list is missingWait 2 weeks after a new referral. If it still does not appear, your provider may not share its waiting list information: contact your GP or the service you were referred to.
4. If the time is missingnhs.uk says not all waiting times are shown in the app, but you are still on the waiting list.

You need to be 16 or over to view or manage appointments in the NHS App (NHS App help).

Check your referral and first appointment

If your GP referred you through the NHS e-Referral Service, you can book, view, reschedule or cancel your first appointment in the NHS App under Appointments, then Hospital and specialist appointments, or at nhs.uk/referrals. Later appointments for the same referral are managed by the provider you were referred to, not in the app (NHS App help). You can also book the first appointment by phone on the e-Referral Service line, 0345 608 8888 (NHS).

Compare the wait at your hospital

My Planned Care shows waiting time information for hospitals in England and is updated weekly; anyone can view it, and it asks patients looking for an update to check it before contacting the hospital or GP (My Planned Care). nhs.uk points to it for comparing waits between hospitals, and says waits vary, so it is worth checking when you choose where to be treated (NHS). nhs.uk also says that in most cases you have the legal right to choose the hospital or service you go to.

If you have heard nothing: referrals that drop off

On 22 October 2026 the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) warned that referrals can disappear from hospital worklists in the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS) without anyone noticing. The system removes a referral from a provider's worklist when someone acts on it, or automatically after 180 days with no action, and it does not alert staff when that happens (HSSIB).

• 12.4 million referrals and requests for specialist advice were submitted through e-RS from February to July 2026.
• More than 1.3 million entries were removed from worklists in the same period. NHS England said about 10% of them, 127,450, came off “inbound” worklists of new referrals, and the national data did not show whether those had been reviewed before they were removed.
• The incidents HSSIB found did not describe actual harm, but it heard that harm from missed or delayed care was possible and may be underestimated. NHS England is updating its safety documentation for the system.

The BMJ reported the findings on 30 October 2026 (The BMJ). The BMJ article is behind a paywall and we could not read it; the figures above are from the HSSIB report itself. What it means for you: if you were referred months ago and have no appointment, no letter and nothing in the NHS App, do not assume you are still waiting. Ask.

1. Check the app and nhs.uk/referralsSee whether the referral and a waiting list appear.
2. Call the service you were referred toAsk whether they have your referral, which list you are on and the expected wait. Write down the date and who you spoke to.
3. Ask your GP practiceThey sent the referral and can check what happened to it.
4. Contact PALSThe hospital's Patient Advice and Liaison Service helps resolve problems when you use the NHS (NHS).

Your rights if the wait is too long

In England the maximum wait for non-urgent, consultant-led treatment is 18 weeks from when the hospital receives your referral or you book through the e-Referral Service. It does not apply if you choose to wait longer, if waiting is in your best clinical interests, or if you miss appointments you chose. If you are likely to wait longer, you have the legal right to ask to be treated by a different provider, and the hospital or integrated care board must look into it and offer alternatives (NHS).

In practice the standard is missed for many people: at the end of August 2026, 65.2% of patients had waited up to 18 weeks, against the 92% standard, with 7.4 million waiting pathways (NHS England). Some areas also hold patients for a set time before planned surgery: see NHS minimum waits by area. The month-by-month figures are on our NHS waiting list tracker.

If the wait is too long for you

Ask your GP whether another NHS provider has a shorter wait before you pay. If you are thinking of paying, compare a written UK quote with published prices abroad first: for example private cataract surgery cost in the UK vs abroad, MRI scan cost and knee replacement cost. This page covers England; for Scotland see NHS Scotland waiting times.

NHS pages read 31 October 2026. This page explains NHS services; it is not medical advice.