The NHS orthopaedic waiting list fell 10.0% in a month at Liverpool University Hospitals and grew 3.0% at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, the trust serving St Helens. NHS England’s September 2026 figures also show that both trusts had fewer waits of more than a year than they did in September 2025.
Liverpool’s orthopaedic list fell below 4,200
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust recorded 4,124 open trauma and orthopaedic pathways at the end of September, down from 4,581 in August and 4,993 a year earlier. The trust’s orthopaedic service covers Aintree, Broadgreen and the Royal Liverpool. Broadgreen provides planned orthopaedic surgery.
The number of open pathways waiting more than 52 weeks fell from 50 in August to 48 in September, down 73.0% from 178 a year earlier. The share of open pathways within 18 weeks rose from 54.7% to 57.7% over the month, up from 48.5% in September 2025.
The list grew at the trust serving St Helens
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust recorded 8,149 open pathways, up from 7,915 in August and 7,193 a year earlier. Its total grew 13.3% year on year. The trust serves St Helens and also covers communities including Knowsley, Southport and Ormskirk.
The number of pathways waiting more than 52 weeks fell from 148 in August to 146 in September, down from 175 the previous September. The share within 18 weeks increased from 67.4% in August to 68.1%, compared with 70.2% a year earlier.
How the two trusts compared with England
Across England, there were 830,089 open trauma and orthopaedic pathways in September, down 1.6% from August and 3.6% year on year. At month-end, 61.4% were within 18 weeks. Liverpool University Hospitals was below that figure at 57.7%, while Mersey and West Lancashire was above it at 68.1%.
Both trusts had a smaller share of pathways waiting over a year than England’s 2.4%. The shares were 1.2% at Liverpool University Hospitals and 1.8% at Mersey and West Lancashire.
| Trust or area | Month | Open pathways | Within 18 weeks | Over 52 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool University Hospitals | September 2026 | 4,124 | 57.7% | 48 |
| Liverpool University Hospitals | August 2026 | 4,581 | 54.7% | 50 |
| Liverpool University Hospitals | September 2025 | 4,993 | 48.5% | 178 |
| Mersey and West Lancashire | September 2026 | 8,149 | 68.1% | 146 |
| Mersey and West Lancashire | August 2026 | 7,915 | 67.4% | 148 |
| Mersey and West Lancashire | September 2025 | 7,193 | 70.2% | 175 |
| England | September 2026 | 830,089 | 61.4% | 19,769 |
| England | August 2026 | 843,419 | 61.1% | 19,741 |
| England | September 2025 | 860,865 | 59.7% | 26,590 |
What the figures cover
Transform Medical used NHS England’s incomplete referral-to-treatment tables for trauma and orthopaedics (C_110). We selected the provider rows for Liverpool University Hospitals (REM) and Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals (RBN) and the national row in the commissioner tables for England. We used the revised September 2025 release.
These are counts of pathways still open at month-end. A person can have more than one pathway. Each figure covers a whole trust, including sites outside Liverpool or St Helens where applicable. The specialty covers a range of conditions and treatments, so these figures cannot predict an individual wait for a specific operation such as a hip or knee replacement.
Sources — September 2026 provider table, September 2026 England table, August 2026 tables, revised September 2025 tables, Liverpool’s orthopaedic service and communities served by Mersey and West Lancashire.