# How long London waits for care

> Elective, diagnostic, emergency and community waits are separate queues with separate standards.

- Category: NHS
- Canonical: [https://londongraph.com/story/how-long-london-waits-for-care](https://londongraph.com/story/how-long-london-waits-for-care)
- Machine-readable record: [https://londongraph.com/data/story/how-long-london-waits-for-care](https://londongraph.com/data/story/how-long-london-waits-for-care)
- Latest contributing release: 2026-08-01T23:49:54.976Z

NHS waiting-time headlines often collapse unlike pathways. This story keeps each published standard and denominator intact and treats provider performance as provider-based, not borough-resident experience.

## Evidence

### Elective wait bands

The latest incomplete RTT pathways distributed across published waiting bands.

- Current computed headline: Up to 18 weeks — 0.67 share of incomplete pathways · RTT-May-2026 (Up to 18 weeks)
- 18–52 weeks: 0.32 share of incomplete pathways · RTT-May-2026
- Release: RTT-May-2026
- Dataset: `nhs-elective-wait-bands`
- Explore: [nhs-elective-wait-bands](https://londongraph.com/g/nhs-elective-wait-bands)

### Diagnostic waits

Test-level within-standard and long-wait measures.

- Current computed headline: Waiting over 6 weeks — 12.78 % · DM01-MAY-2026 (CT)
- Waiting 13 weeks or more: 3.66 % · DM01-MAY-2026
- Release: DM01-MAY-2026
- Dataset: `nhs-diagnostic-waits-by-test`
- Explore: [nhs-diagnostic-waits-by-test](https://londongraph.com/g/nhs-diagnostic-waits-by-test)

### Community long waits

Adult and child community pathways kept separate.

- Current computed headline: Waiting over 18 weeks — 0 people · May 2026 (Children — Therapy interventions: Orthotics)
- Waiting over one year: 0 people · May 2026
- Release: May 2026
- Dataset: `nhs-community-long-waits`
- Explore: [nhs-community-long-waits](https://londongraph.com/g/nhs-community-long-waits)

### Ambulance response

Raw response-time performance against category standards.

- Current computed headline: Category 2 90th percentile — 71.22 minutes (2026-06)
- Category 2 mean: 33 minutes
- Release: 2026-06
- Dataset: `london-ambulance-response-times`
- Explore: [london-ambulance-response-times](https://londongraph.com/g/london-ambulance-response-times)

## Interpretation

Pathways are not necessarily unique people. Provider and service populations differ, and provisional publications can revise.

Every numerical claim is computed from the current versioned datasets at render time. Missing data is reported as missing rather than replaced.

## Sources

- [NHS England RTT / NHS ODS](https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/)
- [NHS England diagnostics / NHS ODS](https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/monthly-diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/)
- [NHS England Community Health Services SitRep](https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/community-health-services-waiting-lists/)
- [NHS England Ambulance Quality Indicators](https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/)