The NHS orthopaedic waiting list fell in Newcastle but grew at the trust serving Darlington between August and September 2026. The latest NHS England figures show a different pattern for the longest waits. Newcastle had more pathways waiting over a year than in August, while County Durham and Darlington had fewer. Both trusts recorded more waits over a year than in September 2025.
Newcastle’s waiting list fell to 7,607
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which provides orthopaedic services at the Freeman Hospital and Royal Victoria Infirmary, had 7,607 open trauma and orthopaedic pathways at the end of September. That was down 125 (1.6%) from August and down 231 (2.9%) from September 2025.
Pathways waiting more than 52 weeks rose from 255 in August to 266 in September, up from 239 a year earlier. The share of open pathways within 18 weeks rose from 62.7% in August to 63.6%, compared with 65.0% in September 2025.
Darlington’s trust had fewer year-long waits than in August
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Darlington Memorial Hospital, recorded 10,382 open pathways, up 142 (1.4%) from August and down 167 (1.6%) from a year earlier.
The number waiting more than 52 weeks fell from 176 in August to 168 in September. That was still well above the 20 recorded in September 2025. The share of open pathways within 18 weeks rose from 74.6% in August to 77.0%, below the 87.7% recorded a year earlier.
How the two trusts compared with England
England recorded 830,089 open trauma and orthopaedic pathways at the end of September, down 1.6% from August and 3.6% from a year earlier. Both trusts had a higher share of open pathways within 18 weeks than England’s 61.4%.
For waits over 52 weeks, Newcastle’s share of 3.5% was above England’s 2.4%. County Durham and Darlington’s share was 1.6%.
| Trust or area | Month | Open pathways | Within 18 weeks | Over 52 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle Hospitals | September 2026 | 7,607 | 63.6% | 266 |
| Newcastle Hospitals | August 2026 | 7,732 | 62.7% | 255 |
| Newcastle Hospitals | September 2025 | 7,838 | 65.0% | 239 |
| County Durham and Darlington | September 2026 | 10,382 | 77.0% | 168 |
| County Durham and Darlington | August 2026 | 10,240 | 74.6% | 176 |
| County Durham and Darlington | September 2025 | 10,549 | 87.7% | 20 |
| 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 Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals (RTD) and County Durham and Darlington (RXP), and the national row in the commissioner tables for England. We used the revised September 2025 release.
The figures count pathways still open at month-end. A person can have more than one pathway. The local figures cover each trust as a whole, across its hospital sites. The specialty covers a range of conditions and treatments, so these figures cannot predict an individual wait for a particular operation such as a hip or knee replacement.
Sources — September 2026 provider table, September 2026 England table, August 2026 tables, revised September 2025 tables, Newcastle’s orthopaedic services and County Durham and Darlington’s orthopaedic services.