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Bolton NHS Foundation Trust

NHS trust · North West · England · code RMC

This page reports published statistics; it is not medical advice and does not rate the trust.

NHS England counted 36,998 referral-to-treatment pathways waiting at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust at the end of August 2026. That is down 1% from 37,521 in August 2025.

At the end of August 2026, 61.6% of the pathways waiting at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust had been waiting under 18 weeks, according to NHS England. That is 3.6 percentage points higher than in August 2025 (58.0%). That is 30.4 points below the 92% the standard sets out.

In September 2026, 63.3% of A&E attendances at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust ended in admission, transfer or discharge within 4 hours, NHS England reports. That is 2.4 percentage points lower than in September 2025 (65.7%). That is 31.7 points below the 95% the standard sets out.

In August 2026, 73.8% of patients on the 62-day cancer pathway at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust started treatment within 62 days, NHS England reports. That is 13.2 percentage points lower than in April 2025 (87.0%). That is 11.2 points below the 85% the standard sets out.

At the end of August 2026, 16.8% of the people on the diagnostic waiting list at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust had been waiting six weeks or more, NHS England reports. That is 2.5 percentage points higher than in August 2025 (14.3%). It is the highest figure in the 13 periods shown here.

The Care Quality Commission's latest published overall rating for Bolton NHS Foundation Trust is “Good”, published on 18 October 2023.

Planned care waiting times

Waiting list (referral to treatment)
36,998
August 2026 · NHS England
Incomplete pathways: a person waiting for two treatments counts twice.
Waiting under 18 weeks
61.6%
August 2026 · NHS England
Standard: NHS England reports waiting times against the 92% standard: 92% of patients waiting to start treatment should have waited less than 18 weeks. Source
Waiting more than 52 weeks
509
August 2026 · NHS England
39k37k August 2025August 2026
62.1%0.0% August 2025August 2026
1,153374 August 2025August 2026
Waiting list (referral to treatment)
August 202537,521
September 202537,555
October 202537,366
November 202537,478
December 202537,532
January 202638,836
February 202637,369
March 202637,849
April 202636,779
May 202637,294
June 202637,808
July 202637,306
August 202636,998
Waiting under 18 weeks
August 202558.0%
September 202559.1%
October 202559.1%
November 202558.6%
December 202557.4%
January 202657.5%
February 202659.8%
March 202662.1%
April 202660.8%
May 202660.7%
June 202661.0%
July 202661.0%
August 202661.6%
Waiting more than 52 weeks
August 20251,153
September 20251,097
October 20251,057
November 20251,103
December 2025910
January 2026696
February 2026543
March 2026374
April 2026440
May 2026395
June 2026444
July 2026580
August 2026509

A&E

A&E: seen within 4 hours (all types)
63.3%
September 2026 · NHS England
Standard: NHS England: the operational standard for A&E waiting times is that 95% of patients should be admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hours of arrival. Source
A&E: waits of 12 hours or more from decision to admit
580
September 2026 · NHS England
Counts patients who waited 12 hours or more from the decision to admit to admission (sometimes called trolley waits), not 12 hours from arrival.
A&E attendances in the month
12,599
September 2026 · NHS England
72.4%0.0% September 2025September 2026
580213 September 2025September 2026
13k11k September 2025September 2026
A&E: seen within 4 hours (all types)
September 202565.7%
October 202562.1%
November 202561.0%
December 202560.2%
January 202662.2%
February 202663.8%
March 202668.1%
April 202672.4%
May 202668.7%
June 202666.5%
July 202672.2%
August 202666.9%
September 202663.3%
A&E: waits of 12 hours or more from decision to admit
September 2025213
October 2025288
November 2025395
December 2025440
January 2026531
February 2026483
March 2026374
April 2026476
May 2026516
June 2026455
July 2026445
August 2026470
September 2026580
A&E attendances in the month
September 202511,916
October 202512,779
November 202512,597
December 202511,888
January 202611,967
February 202610,681
March 202612,240
April 202611,904
May 202612,728
June 202612,557
July 202612,384
August 202611,841
September 202612,599

Cancer waiting times

Cancer: told within 28 days (Faster Diagnosis Standard)
80.1%
August 2026 · NHS England
Standard: NHS England: the operational standard is that 80% of people are told they have cancer, or that cancer is ruled out, within 28 days of an urgent referral. Source
Cancer: treated within 31 days of decision to treat
97.9%
August 2026 · NHS England
Standard: NHS England: the operational standard is that 96% of people begin treatment within 31 days of a decision to treat. Source
Cancer: treated within 62 days
73.8%
August 2026 · NHS England
Standard: NHS England: the operational standard is that 85% of people begin first definitive treatment within 62 days. Source
89.3%0.0% April 2025August 2026
100.0%0.0% April 2025August 2026
87.7%0.0% April 2025August 2026
Cancer: told within 28 days (Faster Diagnosis Standard)
April 202588.4%
May 202589.3%
June 202587.7%
July 202586.8%
August 202584.4%
September 202585.8%
October 202586.2%
November 202586.9%
December 202586.3%
January 202680.3%
February 202684.4%
March 202681.4%
April 202679.6%
May 202681.3%
June 202681.4%
July 202680.5%
August 202680.1%
Cancer: treated within 31 days of decision to treat
April 202599.3%
May 202596.7%
June 202598.6%
July 202598.1%
August 202596.5%
September 202597.9%
October 202597.4%
November 2025100.0%
December 202597.1%
January 202698.7%
February 202699.1%
March 202696.8%
April 202697.6%
May 202699.2%
June 202699.3%
July 202696.5%
August 202697.9%
Cancer: treated within 62 days
April 202587.0%
May 202587.7%
June 202587.3%
July 202583.4%
August 202581.7%
September 202577.4%
October 202580.0%
November 202583.2%
December 202585.5%
January 202679.3%
February 202667.5%
March 202680.5%
April 202683.8%
May 202673.8%
June 202677.4%
July 202669.7%
August 202673.8%

Diagnostic tests

Waiting six weeks or more for a diagnostic test
16.8%
August 2026 · NHS England
Standard: NHS England: the operational standard is that less than 1% of patients should wait six weeks or more for a diagnostic test. Source
Diagnostic waiting list
5,127
August 2026 · NHS England
16.8%0.0% August 2025August 2026
5,5622,963 August 2025August 2026
Waiting six weeks or more for a diagnostic test
August 202514.3%
September 202512.7%
October 20256.3%
November 20254.3%
December 20255.0%
January 20263.5%
February 20262.6%
March 20262.6%
April 202610.8%
May 202611.9%
June 202615.7%
July 202615.8%
August 202616.8%
Diagnostic waiting list
August 20253,554
September 20253,494
October 20253,136
November 20252,963
December 20253,296
January 20263,479
February 20264,181
March 20264,912
April 20265,562
May 20265,413
June 20265,362
July 20265,470
August 20265,127

Care Quality Commission rating

The Care Quality Commission's latest published overall rating for Bolton NHS Foundation Trust is “Good”, published on 18 October 2023. CQC page for this provider.

Hospital sites

Main hospital sites registered to Bolton NHS Foundation Trust in the NHS Organisation Data Service. Figures on this page are for the whole organisation, not for individual sites.

Comparing the UK nations

England measures planned-care waits from referral to treatment against an 18-week standard, and diagnostic waits against six weeks. Scotland and Wales measure differently, so their figures are not directly comparable (NHS England notes that each UK country has its own targets and standards).

Local areas

Council areas linked to this organisation: Bolton

Where Bolton NHS Foundation Trust sits in the ladder of power

The bodies above Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and the council areas it serves. How the ten levels work.

  1. Level 4: County councils, combined authorities and metro mayors

    • Bolton NHS Foundation Trust this page

  2. Level 6: National government

  3. Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies

  4. Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies

  5. Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance

    • International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
    • World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.

  6. Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums

    • G7 The UK is one of the seven members.
    • G20 The UK is a G20 member.

Related figures

NHS waiting list (England) · NHS employment

Sources

NHS trusts and health boards · how these figures are presented · built 15 October 2026