Hip and knee replacement surgeries are currently in high demand, leading to longer waiting times for patients. Whilst patients are waiting for knee and hip replacements, they may experience their pain getting worse, having reduced mobility and their overall health declining.
Hip and knee replacements are one of the NHS’s highest-volume procedures, performing over 200,000 annually.
Current NHS Waiting Times for Knee & Hip Replacements
According to the NHS, if you are referred for a physical health condition, you have the legal right to start non-urgent, consultant-led treatment within the maximum waiting times. This right only applies to patients who receive services commissioned by the NHS in England. The maximum waiting time for a knee and hip replacement is 18 weeks. Your waiting time will start from the time that the hospital receives your referral letter or when you book your first referral appointment through the NHS.
| Knee Replacement Waiting Times (2023-2024) | |
| 18+ weeks | 48,183 FAEs |
| 52+ weeks | 14,071 FAEs |
Our FOI request to NHS England showed that between 2023 and 2024, there were approximately 48,183 finished admission episodes (FAEs) with the main operative procedure of knee replacement, taking over 18 weeks. There were approximately 14,071 taking over 52 weeks. These figures have been rounded to the nearest 5 by NHS England.
A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.
| Hip Replacement Waiting Times (2023-2024) | |
| 18+ weeks | 36,894 FAEs |
| 52+ weeks | 9,356 FAEs |
Our further request to NHS England showed that between 2023 and 2024, there were approximately 36,894 finished admission episodes (FAEs) with the main operative procedure of hip replacement, taking over 18 weeks. There were approximately 9,356 taking over 52 weeks.
Statistics On NHS Waiting Times For Non-Urgent Consultant-Led Treatments: Including Knee and Hip Replacements In the UK
At the end of January 2025, there were only 56.6% of patients who received treatment within the 18-week treatment time limit (the NHS operational standard is 92%), meaning that there were 43.4% of patients who waited longer than 18 weeks to receive treatment for trauma and orthopaedics. This statistic includes patients who were waiting for knee and hip replacements.
Cases where the patient was waiting to start treatment at the end of January 2025:
There were 847, 504 cases where the patient was waiting to start treatment at the end of January 2025.
| In half of the cases, the patient had been waiting less than: | 15 weeks |
| In 92 out of 100 cases, the patient had been waiting less than 43 weeks: | 44 weeks |
Cases where the patient completed their pathway and started treatment during January 2025:
For treatment that involved hospital admission (e.g. inpatient appointments), there were 48,544 cases where the patient had started admitted treatment.
| In half of these cases, the patient started treatment within: | 23 weeks |
| In 19 out of 20 cases, the patient started treatment within: | 64 weeks |
For treatment that did not involve hospital admission (e.g. outpatient appointments), there were 103,309 cases where the patient had started admission treatment.
| In half of these cases, the patient started treatment within: | 12 weeks |
| In 19 out of 20 cases, the patient started treatment within: | 58 weeks |
Source: Referral to Treatment Waiting Times January 2025
How Can Increased Waiting Times For Knee & Hip Replacements Affect You?
Delaying knee and hip replacements can significantly affect your health, leading to increased pain, reduced mobility and added strain on other parts of your body.
Delaying surgery can reduce its effectiveness, as the ongoing deterioration of your joint and worsening mobility may also lead to a decline in your overall health. For example, you might experience weight gain or develop poor cardiovascular health; this can significantly impact recovery, as patients who are healthier going into surgery typically experience better outcomes post-treatment.
Summary
Waiting a long time for knee and hip replacements can put physical strain on patients and potentially impact the success of their surgery when they eventually receive the treatment. It is extremely important that patients receive their hip and knee replacements within the 18-week time frame that the NHS has set out to have the best possible outcome after receiving the treatment.
Whilst the NHS is working hard to achieve these targets, unfortunate incidents of negligence can still occur. If you have experienced any delays or cancellations regarding knee surgery and hip replacement surgery and this has led to the worsening of your condition, then please contact Patient Claim Line and speak to one of our medical negligence experts who can guide you through the claims process.