Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust Outperforms National Average for Waiting Times

Over 70% of patients seen within 18-week target as RCHT outperforms national average

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) has reported strong performance against national NHS waiting time targets, with the latest data showing over 70% of patients in April were treated within the 18-week referral to treatment standard.

That’s significantly better than the national average, which the BBC recently reported as just below 60%.

Waiting list reduced from peak in 2023

This improvement marks a notable shift for the trust, with its waiting list now averaging around 41,000 patients throughout 2025. This is down from a peak of 48,751 in May 2023.

Robin Jones, Chief Operating Officer at RCHT, said:

“We’re really pleased to see this progress. We all know it’s a challenging time for the NHS, but the dedication of our staff has enabled us to make this significant headway and outperform the national average.”

Third best in southwest for reducing long waits

The trust is also celebrating a reduction in patients facing long delays. RCHT is currently ranked as the third best performing trust in the southwest when it comes to patients waiting over 52 weeks for treatment.

Robin added:

“It’s great to see this reduction in our longest waiters, which represents real progress in getting patients the care they need. We remain focused on further improvements, particularly as we navigate the typically busier summer months.”

More operations than before the pandemic

RCHT has carried out nearly 81,000 procedures over the last year, which is 7% more than in 2019, before the pandemic.

Diagnostic waiting times have also improved, with 91% of patients now receiving tests within six weeks. This performance ranks RCHT among the best in the southwest.

Investment in new treatment centres

Support from the national Elective Recovery Fund has helped the trust push forward. In partnership with Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, the Bodmin and West Cornwall Hospital Community Diagnostic Centres have seen over 88,772 patients since opening.

The newly opened St Austell Surgical Hub, which began operating in November 2024, has already treated more than 1,200 patients.

RCHT says it will continue focusing on cutting waiting times and maintaining momentum through the summer months.