--- title: "Waiting for NHS care: What to do | HealthAnswers" description: "What to do while you wait for an NHS appointment, test or treatment in the UK — when to chase, when to go back to your GP, and when to use 111 or 999." url: https://healthanswers.co.uk/guides/waiting-for-nhs-care/ robots: noindex --- # Waiting for NHS care: What to do | HealthAnswers Practical health guides What to do while you wait for an NHS appointment, test or treatment in the UK — when to chase, when to go back to your GP, and when to use 111 or 999. Written by HealthAnswers editorial team Medically reviewed by [HealthAnswers UK doctor review panel](https://healthanswers.co.uk/our-doctors/) Reviewed 13 August 2026 ## Quick answer What should I do while waiting for NHS care? NHS waits vary by specialty, area and urgency. Use the date and contact details on your letter or NHS App as the source for your wait. Go back to your GP or use NHS 111 if you worsen, and call 999 for a life-threatening emergency — a place on a waiting list does not replace urgent care. ## Who is this page for? This page is for people in the UK who want a plain-English overview of Waiting for NHS care, including when to seek help and what NHS care usually involves. It explains general information, not what is wrong with you personally. ## Who should skip this page? Skip this page if you need a diagnosis, a prescription, or emergency care. It cannot replace a GP, pharmacist, NHS 111 or 999. If you are in immediate danger, call 999; for urgent advice that is not life-threatening, call 111 in England, Scotland or Wales, or use your GP out-of-hours service in Northern Ireland. On this page 10 sections ## Key points - A waiting-list place is not a diagnosis or a safety net if you get worse. - Your appointment letter, hospital team or the NHS App is the source for your date — not a national average. - Ask who to contact if symptoms change, and keep a short record of what has happened since referral. - You can usually ask your GP to review urgency if your condition has deteriorated. ## Should I skip this page? Skip this page and call **999** if someone is in immediate danger. Skip it and use **NHS 111** if you need urgent advice today and do not know where to go. This guide is for people in the UK who already have a referral, a planned test, or a date that has not arrived yet. ## What should I do first? Find the letter, text or NHS App entry for this wait. Note the hospital or clinic, the specialty, any reference number, and who to contact if you worsen. That paperwork is more useful than a national headline about waiting times. ## Does being on a list mean I am safe to wait? No. Lists are a queue, not a guarantee that nothing will change. If pain, breathing, bleeding, mood, mobility or confusion gets worse, treat that as new information. Tell the GP or the team named on your letter. A waiting-list place does not replace 999 or 111. ## When should I chase the appointment? Chase if the date you were given has passed with no contact, if you never received a letter, or if you cannot see the booking in the NHS App. Use the phone number on the letter first. Keep a note of when you called and what you were told. ## What should I tell them if I have got worse? Say what has changed since the referral, when it changed, and how it affects sleep, work, caring or walking. Mention new red-flag symptoms such as unexplained weight loss, coughing blood, chest pain, or a sudden severe headache. Ask whether the urgency category still fits. ## Can I use a pharmacist or GP while I wait? Yes. A pharmacist can help with many medicines questions and minor illnesses. A GP can review symptoms, adjust treatment, issue fit notes where appropriate, and ask the hospital to review priority. You do not have to choose between primary care and the waiting list. ## What about work, fit notes and money? If you cannot work, employees can usually self-certify for the first 7 calendar days. From day 8 you may need a fit note. Waiting for a specialist does not automatically mean you should be signed off — that depends on what you can safely do. See our fit-note guide. ## Should I look up average waiting times? You can, to understand the system. Do not treat an England-wide median as your appointment date. Specialties, cancer pathways, diagnostic tests and local capacity differ. Your letter is the source for you. ## What if I want a second opinion or private care? You can ask your GP about a second NHS opinion. Private tests or consultations are a personal choice; ask how results would be shared with the NHS team. HealthAnswers does not recommend a private provider. ## What should I take to the eventual appointment? Take your medicine list, the original referral reason, a short timeline of what has happened while waiting, and your two or three questions. Our GP appointment checklist works for hospital clinics too. ## ! When to get medical help Call 999 for severe chest pain, stroke symptoms, serious breathing difficulty, collapse, uncontrolled bleeding or another life-threatening emergency — even if you are already on a waiting list. Use NHS 111 if you need urgent advice and are unsure where to go. Contact your GP or the team named on your letter if symptoms worsen, new red-flag symptoms appear, or you have heard nothing by the date you were given. ## Common questions Does a long wait mean my problem is not serious? No. Waiting lists mix many conditions and are organised by clinical priority and capacity, not by how worried you feel. If you are getting worse, say so — do not wait it out because you assume the list has already judged the risk. Can I go private while staying on the NHS list? Often yes, but ask the NHS team how a private opinion or test would affect your NHS pathway. Keep copies of private results to share. Cost, follow-up and medicines may not transfer automatically. What if I miss the appointment letter? Check the NHS App, your GP record and spam folders, then call the number on any previous letter or the hospital switchboard. Ask to confirm the appointment is still booked. Do not assume it was cancelled. Should I keep taking my usual medicines while I wait? Yes, unless a clinician has told you to stop. Use your repeat prescription as normal. If a medicine is not working or causing side effects, contact the GP or the specialist team rather than stopping it yourself. Can I ask to be seen sooner? You can ask your GP or the waiting-list team to review urgency if you have deteriorated, new symptoms, or a change that affects work, caring or safety. They may not be able to bring the date forward, but they can advise whether the current priority still fits. Where do official waiting-time figures come from? NHS England and the other UK health services publish waiting-time statistics. Those figures describe systems, not your appointment. For your date, use your letter, the NHS App or the team looking after you. ## Sources - [NHS — Waiting times](https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/hospitals/going-into-hospital/waiting-times/) - [NHS — NHS App](https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-app/) - [NHS England — statistical waiting times](https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/)