LONDON, 14 October 2026 – As NHS England reports year-on-year progress on elective waiting times, My Medical Gateway highlights the continuing financial pressure that a period unable to work can place on self-employed people with painful or mobility-limiting conditions.
The latest NHS England figures, published on 8 October 2026, show 843,419 incomplete treatment pathways in trauma and orthopaedics in England at the end of August 2026, with 38.9% waiting longer than 18 weeks. Across all specialties, the new data shows approximately 7.4 million pathways (an estimated 6.2 million individual patients), down 33,512 pathways (0.5%) from August 2025.
Progress remains slow. When Labour took office in July 2024, the NHS needed 44 weeks to treat 92% of patients; by July 2026, that had fallen to 38.4 weeks. At the current pace, the Health Foundation projects the figure would still be around 34.9 weeks in 2029, against the 18-week standard the Government has promised to restore, with the waiting list remaining above seven million on the eve of the next general election. This is a forecast rather than an observed waiting time, but it shows why timely access to treatment remains a concern.
NHS England has not met its 18-week target since February 2016. For people with painful hips and deteriorating knees, a wait of nearly nine months can mean ongoing pain, restricted mobility and lost earnings. For a carpenter, plumber, electrician, farmer or driver, reduced mobility can make every-day work difficult. Where a condition prevents someone from working, the consequences can extend to household income, customer commitments and the costs of keeping a business running.
My Medical Gateway’s illustrative calculations show that 12 weeks completely unable to work represents a gross salary equivalent of over £9,200 for an experienced carpenter, over £10,600 for a plumber, around £10,400 for an electrician and over £10,800 for an HGV driver, using National Careers Service benchmarks. For a farmer, hiring replacement labour at an assumed £150 per day, five days a week, would cost £9,000 over the same period.
Sara Gezdari, spokesperson for My Medical Gateway, said today:
“For someone whose livelihood depends on being physically able to work, a prolonged period of pain or restricted mobility can put pressure on both the business and household finances. Jobs may have to be turned down, while vehicle, equipment and other commitments continue.
“For people living with pain and uncertainty, particularly those worried about their livelihood, it is important to consider what a prolonged wait could mean for their health, finances and everyday life. Private treatment in the UK may feel beyond reach, but care in Europe through accredited healthcare providers, with appropriately qualified surgeons and clear arrangements for support and aftercare, may be an option they have not considered.
“Depending on their circumstances and clinical needs, it could offer a route to treatment sooner and help them get back to the activities and work their condition has interrupted.”
My Medical Gateway connects UK patients with MMG-accredited private hospitals in the European Union, with a guaranteed choice of three surgery dates within six weeks of medical clearance.
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For Further Information
Siân Covey
Head of Corporate Communications and Media Relations
Tel: +44 7812 – 923485
Email: [email protected]
Notes to Editors
About My Medical Gateway
My Medical Gateway (MMG) is a healthcare marketplace connecting UK patients with fully MMG-accredited private hospitals across the European Union. Patients can compare providers and fixed-price treatment packages offering high-quality, consultant-led care at up to 50% less than comparable UK private prices, with a guaranteed choice of three surgery dates within six weeks of medical clearance.
MMG combines a transparent platform framework governed by English law with comprehensive support throughout the patient journey, from treatment selection and diagnostics to booking, treatment and recovery. Treatment Packages include English-speaking patient coordination, structured aftercare and a post-operative review within 90 days, making private healthcare abroad simpler, more affordable and supported at every stage.
Learn more about MMG: www.mymedicalgateway.com
About MMG: www.mymedicalgateway.com/about
About the Data
NHS England source: August 2026 RTT Statistical Press Notice, published 8 October 2026, pages 1, 3 and 7. The 843,419 orthopaedic figure excludes estimates for four trusts that did not submit data; the national 7.4 million figure includes estimates. The 38.9% over 18 weeks is derived from 61.1% within 18 weeks. The illustrations use the experienced salary figures published by the National Careers Service: carpenter £40,000; plumber £46,000; electrician £45,000; HGV driver £47,000. These are the upper ends of the published salary ranges, not average salaries or estimates of self-employed earnings.
Calculation: annual gross salary benchmark ÷ 52 × 12 weeks, rounded to the nearest pound. The scenario assumes a period completely unable to work. It does not account for sick pay, insurance, benefits, business expenses, replacement labour or changes to working duties. It is not a clinical recovery estimate or a calculation of financial savings from earlier treatment.
Farming is referenced as a physically demanding occupation but is excluded from the salary comparisons because farm household earnings and individual occupational salaries are not equivalent measures. Instead, the farmer illustration estimates the cost of hiring replacement labour at an assumed £150 per day, five days a week, for 12 weeks (£150 × 5 × 12 = £9,000).
Sources:
NHS England referral to treatment waiting times
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2026-27/
National Careers Service carpenter
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/carpenter
National Careers Service plumber
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/plumber
National Careers Service electrician
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/electrician
National Careers Service HGV driver
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/large-goods-vehicle-driver
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