Wait time for 'urgent' NHS referral

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What has been your experience with wait time for an 'urgent' referral to a specialist by your GP? I have been told by my GP a few months which doesn't seem urgent & given symptoms feel it should be a bit faster (it's gyne related FYI) but I am well aware of the backlog etc. So just wanting to know what other's wait times have been like? Thanks

My dad spent 6 years waiting for his heart op which he's thankfully had now but as he told the consultant, those years put alot of extra stress on his heart that it really didn't need. Hope your husband gets his op soon🤞

Mine is 7 months wait. Despite having had symptoms for bowel cancer and 3 family members dying from cancer (two bowel cancer) in the last 3 years.

Just checked my hospital gynae wait times. 38 weeks😳 I've just had a referral to them so probably next year then 😅

Unless it's something potentially life threatening, gynae waits are huge. I've been seeing gynae for a few years for various debilitating issues that disrupted my life massively, that included surgery to fix, but my conditions weren't life threatening so there were pretty big waits in between some of the appointments/treatments. I'd say prepare yourself for a wait (unless of course it's life threatening)

I’ve become very lucky with the nhs and ‘urgent’ referrals. My breast 2 week pathway took exactly 2 weeks. My wisdom teeth surgery booked from having my initial appointment to surgery is just over 2 months and my major ankle surgery is 3 months from discussion of surgery to the surgery (at the best orthopaedic hospital in the country).

on the other hand, my son has not been so lucky. He’s on the wait for ent and they stated that can be at least over a year wait - despite him struggling to breathe of a night. He’s on the pathway for an autism assessment/diagnosis and that can be a few years. he’s also waiting for speech therapy and has already been waiting for a year, and has been told it can be another 3 years wait.

It’s crazy how different clinics can differ, despite being in the same area.

My last referral took five months. The one before that took well over two years.

My sister's gyne referral had a 2 year wait and she was in a lot of pain and could hardly walk. She went private and paid £10k for the op so she could have it done sooner and says it was money well spent (she is not remotely well off either and had to use all her savings).

Endoscopy was 4 months but hysteroscopy was quick on 2 week pathway.

I waited 7 weeks for an ‘urgent referral’ when I got my cancer diagnosis.

I have been waiting for an urgent referral for possible Parkinsons since Feb 2nd. The waiting list has gone from 12 weeks to 37 weeks since then and that's an average wait. Suspected Parkinson's disease is supposed to be a 6 week pathway. I actually went to the GP in Nov but it took until Feb to get an initial appointment and for them to do bloods. I get the rage every time fecking Rishi tells me about the increased investment in the NHS, the increased number of Doctors and the falling waiting lists.

@Ciderlout hes only 32 and has history of family dying young from heart problems so was hoping it would be done really quickly but clearly not😬

@Bathoclock he has, they keep telling him as soon as they get a cancellation they'll get him in but nothing so far

@Devilsmommy it's awful isn't it, I know it can't be helped and it is what it is but like your dad says it's just so much unnecessary stress waiting for it

My husband was referred under the 2 week pathway for prostate and had an MRI and 2 phone calls with it all sorted ( wasn’t anything nasty ) within 3 weeks . My 24 yo daughter was referred as an emergency to cardiology , had some investigations within 6 weeks and we then heard nothing , I called and they had downgraded to non urgent off the back of the investigations and we were told 8/9 months . We then got her seen within 2 weeks via our Benenden health membership and the cardiologist there has advised but also spoke to the NHS people and her NHS appt is in a few weeks so 4 months from having the investigations.

@whirlyhead I'd imagine it was. That must've been like having a new lease of life for her, just terrible it cost her savings to get it!

Think it depends on your own trust..
Mine is urogynocology. .
Rang two weeks ago was told over a year.
Had another appointment with my GP and an internal examination... my bladder is just about hanging out of my vagina now.. so I've been referred back as urgent.. ( 2 to 4 weeks). I've expressed I'm available to go to any hospital within my trust .

My urgent referral was last Feb 2023. I was seen in April 2024 and the consultant could not believe that I had been given no ultrasound etc had it done and organised for me in a week eg within 7 days. Unfortunately it indicated a serious problem that I have had for over a year with no medication - sadly I will be raising a complaint as there is no doubt the problem was very real and short of been treated much quicker.

My cancer pathway referral was 2 weeks (although things slowed down considerably after that)

My partners exploded disc (which was urgent as he couldn barely get up off the floor/ work etc) was going to be 9m just to see a consultant so we went private.

ive just been put on an ent referral which I’ve been told 2-3 months but looking online the avg trust waiting is 17 weeks (1 week under the 18 week target) for 2 suspected benign tumours in my neck. With a family history of thyroid cancer (mum and nan and aunts etc) it’s lovely and reassuring to be waiting that long 🙄 it took long enough to get a referral from the gp to get an ultrasound…3 appointments later over 6months and then my letter said it was basically a swollen lymph node but said the patient is anxious because of family history so let’s just do it to shut her up effectively. Then a 6 week wait for ultrasound, few days later a call to say they have found two tumours, so at least my anxiousness at going back wasn’t completely out of line

The NHS is not underfunded. The reasons it's struggling are staff well-being, underfunded social care, inadequate workforce plan, lack of access to emergency care and ongoing industrial action.

I got referred on the 2 week pathway yesterday (gynaecology), they rang this morning, appointment is 2 weeks on Friday.

My learning disabled son is going to be waiting until the autumn for urgent blood tests. He is going to waiting until at least August for a biopsy.

I an apoplectic- this is why people with learning disabilities die so much earlier than the rest of us.

I've had two gynae referrals. First one was within 2 weeks. Second one is a routine appointment which is mid September - my hospital has a 23 week protocol. They always seem to get the ultrasound done really quickly.

Currently referred for urgent abdominal scan so will see!

Is that with your GP surgery for the blood tests? I can normally get an appointment with a nurse within a couple of weeks. Maybe worth ringing if you can get there at short notice if any cancellations.

I was referred under urgent pathway last Wednesday to see a dermatologist, my appointment is Monday 3rd June so under 2 weeks. Cambridgeshire area

Awaiting an ‘urgent’ referral to paediatrician allergist since January for a child who was, at the time, 4 months old