NHS referrals: how long they take and how to chase one
A referral is the GP handing you to a hospital or clinic. Here is what should happen, when, and what it looks like when it has gone wrong.
- Day 0Your GP refers you. For most planned care this goes through the NHS e-Referral Service. You should leave with, or soon receive, a reference number (a UBRN) and a password. With those you can book or change the appointment yourself at nhs.uk/referrals, and you can choose the hospital: your right to choose.
- Within 2 weeksUrgent suspected cancer referrals. You should be offered an appointment inside two weeks, and told the result, cancer or not, within 28 days of the referral. If nothing has arrived within a few days, phone the hospital.
- Weeks 1 to 6Routine referrals: the letter. Most hospitals send an appointment or an invitation to book. The referral is "received" the day the hospital gets it, which starts the 18-week clock. No letter after 3 weeks is worth a call.
- First appointmentThe outpatient visit. A consultant or member of their team assesses you, orders tests, or lists you for treatment. The wait from referral to this point is the "waiting now" figure on this site's hospital pages.
- By week 18Treatment should have started. This is the referral to treatment standard in the NHS Constitution: 92% of patients within 18 weeks. If you pass 18 weeks with no date within the next 8 weeks, you can ask to move to another provider; see already waiting for the letter.
- Beyond 18 weeksYour options. Ask the hospital where you are on the list; ask to move; or, if things have gone wrong, complain. If your condition is getting worse, go back to your GP: a change can change your priority.
Typical waits by specialty, August 2026
At a typical hospital, half of the people treated had waited under:
- Trauma and orthopaedics: 17 weeks, across 290 providers. Shortest in England: The Royal Victoria Infirmary.
- Ophthalmology: 11 weeks, across 291 providers. Shortest in England: Practice Plus Group Hospital - Ilford.
- Ear, nose and throat: 15 weeks, across 146 providers. Shortest in England: The Living Care Group.
- Gastroenterology: 8 weeks, across 163 providers. Shortest in England: The Living Care Group.
The words on your letter
- UBRN
- Unique booking reference number. Twelve digits. Needed to book, change or chase.
- RTT
- Referral to treatment: the 18-week clock, started by the referral and stopped by the start of treatment or a decision that none is needed.
- Routine, soon, urgent
- The priority your GP gave the referral. Hospitals see urgent first. Ask what yours is; a routine marking can be reviewed if your condition changes.
- Advice and guidance
- Your GP asked the consultant a question instead of referring you. You may get a plan without a hospital visit, or a referral afterwards.
- Triage
- The hospital reads the referral and decides the clinic and priority. A referral can be returned to the GP if it is not for that service.
Chasing: the three calls, in order
- The practice: confirm the date sent and the UBRN.
- The hospital's appointments line: quote the UBRN and ask whether the referral has been triaged and when the clinic has capacity.
- PALS at the hospital: if the line cannot help, PALS can find out who is holding the referral.
Sources: NHS: referrals; The NHS Constitution for England (18 weeks, cancer standards); NHS England referral to treatment rules suite; the Faster Diagnosis Standard. Figures from NHS England's RTT statistics for August 2026. Last checked 14 October 2026. Not medical advice.