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Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

NHS trust · North West · England · code RJR

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

NHS England counted 29,011 referral-to-treatment pathways waiting at Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust at the end of August 2026. That is down 16% from 34,477 in August 2025.

At the end of August 2026, 68.4% of the pathways waiting at Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust had been waiting under 18 weeks, according to NHS England. That is 20.1 percentage points higher than in August 2025 (48.3%). It is the highest figure in the 13 periods shown here. That is 23.6 points below the 92% the standard sets out.

In September 2026, 61.8% of A&E attendances at Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust ended in admission, transfer or discharge within 4 hours, NHS England reports. That is 0.4 percentage points lower than in September 2025 (62.2%). That is 33.2 points below the 95% the standard sets out.

In August 2026, 83.8% of patients on the 62-day cancer pathway at Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust started treatment within 62 days, NHS England reports. That is 3.7 percentage points higher than in April 2025 (80.1%). That is 1.2 points below the 85% the standard sets out.

At the end of August 2026, 20.4% of the people on the diagnostic waiting list at Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust had been waiting six weeks or more, NHS England reports. That is 5.7 percentage points lower than in August 2025 (26.1%).

The Care Quality Commission's latest published overall rating for Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is “Requires improvement”, published on 14 February 2024.

Planned care waiting times

Waiting list (referral to treatment)
29,011
August 2026 · NHS England
Incomplete pathways: a person waiting for two treatments counts twice.
Waiting under 18 weeks
68.4%
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
184
August 2026 · NHS England
34k28k August 2025August 2026
68.4%0.0% August 2025August 2026
3,103184 August 2025August 2026
Waiting list (referral to treatment)
August 202534,477
September 202534,103
October 202533,262
November 202531,747
December 202530,658
January 202629,823
February 202629,639
March 202627,662
April 202628,907
May 202629,294
June 202629,783
July 202629,228
August 202629,011
Waiting under 18 weeks
August 202548.3%
September 202551.4%
October 202552.2%
November 202553.0%
December 202553.6%
January 202655.1%
February 202658.4%
March 202664.3%
April 202666.2%
May 202666.7%
June 202667.8%
July 202667.8%
August 202668.4%
Waiting more than 52 weeks
August 20253,103
September 20252,594
October 20252,339
November 20251,847
December 20251,337
January 20261,075
February 2026954
March 2026238
April 2026231
May 2026191
June 2026209
July 2026211
August 2026184

A&E

A&E: seen within 4 hours (all types)
61.8%
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
768
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
8,676
September 2026 · NHS England
65.3%0.0% September 2025September 2026
865530 September 2025September 2026
8,8477,155 September 2025September 2026
A&E: seen within 4 hours (all types)
September 202562.2%
October 202564.6%
November 202560.5%
December 202561.9%
January 202656.9%
February 202659.8%
March 202661.0%
April 202664.8%
May 202665.3%
June 202665.3%
July 202661.2%
August 202660.9%
September 202661.8%
A&E: waits of 12 hours or more from decision to admit
September 2025747
October 2025530
November 2025613
December 2025634
January 2026865
February 2026747
March 2026778
April 2026726
May 2026569
June 2026671
July 2026612
August 2026628
September 2026768
A&E attendances in the month
September 20257,756
October 20258,054
November 20258,043
December 20257,611
January 20267,781
February 20267,155
March 20268,089
April 20267,849
May 20268,306
June 20268,498
July 20268,847
August 20268,463
September 20268,676

Cancer waiting times

Cancer: told within 28 days (Faster Diagnosis Standard)
87.1%
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
97.7%
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
83.8%
August 2026 · NHS England
Standard: NHS England: the operational standard is that 85% of people begin first definitive treatment within 62 days. Source
87.4%0.0% April 2025August 2026
97.7%0.0% April 2025August 2026
86.6%0.0% April 2025August 2026
Cancer: told within 28 days (Faster Diagnosis Standard)
April 202584.3%
May 202575.6%
June 202575.6%
July 202571.3%
August 202573.3%
September 202570.6%
October 202577.9%
November 202578.6%
December 202580.4%
January 202674.7%
February 202683.7%
March 202685.6%
April 202682.8%
May 202684.3%
June 202686.0%
July 202687.4%
August 202687.1%
Cancer: treated within 31 days of decision to treat
April 202589.6%
May 202594.8%
June 202596.8%
July 202588.2%
August 202593.9%
September 202591.4%
October 202592.5%
November 202596.5%
December 202596.5%
January 202683.8%
February 202693.7%
March 202693.5%
April 202690.4%
May 202685.0%
June 202695.3%
July 202693.5%
August 202697.7%
Cancer: treated within 62 days
April 202580.1%
May 202577.9%
June 202571.6%
July 202574.2%
August 202574.4%
September 202576.0%
October 202572.9%
November 202581.7%
December 202576.5%
January 202672.8%
February 202676.6%
March 202684.9%
April 202686.6%
May 202680.1%
June 202682.9%
July 202683.3%
August 202683.8%

Diagnostic tests

Waiting six weeks or more for a diagnostic test
20.4%
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
7,248
August 2026 · NHS England
26.1%0.0% August 2025August 2026
8,5287,248 August 2025August 2026
Waiting six weeks or more for a diagnostic test
August 202526.1%
September 202523.5%
October 202525.3%
November 202523.2%
December 202523.7%
January 202620.7%
February 202613.4%
March 202616.0%
April 202618.7%
May 202617.5%
June 202616.0%
July 202620.2%
August 202620.4%
Diagnostic waiting list
August 20257,474
September 20257,548
October 20257,807
November 20257,926
December 20257,508
January 20267,565
February 20267,916
March 20268,528
April 20268,070
May 20267,852
June 20267,885
July 20267,792
August 20267,248

Care Quality Commission rating

The Care Quality Commission's latest published overall rating for Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is “Requires improvement”, published on 14 February 2024. CQC page for this provider.

Hospital sites

Main hospital sites registered to Countess of Chester Hospital 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: Cheshire West and Chester

Where Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust sits in the ladder of power

The bodies above Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the council areas it serves. How the ten levels work.

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

    • Countess of Chester Hospital 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