A new OECD report, "Health at a Glance 2025," has laid bare the severity of waiting times across European healthcare systems. The data shows that more than one in ten patients in the UK wait over a year for a specialist appointment. In Slovenia, patients endure a median wait of 667 days for a hip replacement, nearly two years.
"Postponing the expected benefits of treatment means that patients continue living with pain and disability for longer than they need to," the report warns.
General Practitioner Access Even seeing a GP is a challenge. In Sweden, 23% of patients wait over a week for a GP or nurse. France and Germany are at 20%, and the UK at 18%. When those waiting six to seven days are counted, the figures rise: Sweden 30%, France 28%, UK 27%, Germany 26%.
Specialist Appointment Delays The UK stands out for specialist access: 11% of patients wait over a year. In France and Germany, that figure is just 2%. Additionally, 43% of patients in France wait between two months and a year.
Surgical Backlogs Cataract surgery sees severe delays. In Norway, 81% of patients in 2024 waited over three months from specialist assessment to treatment. Finland followed at 71%. A majority also waited over three months in the UK (58%), Portugal (58%), and Spain (53%).
Pandemic Aftermath Among nine tracked countries, cataract surgery wait times rose in 2024 compared to 2019 in seven, with only Poland and Hungary improving. In the UK, those waiting over three months more than doubled, from 22% to 58%.
Hip Replacements For hip replacements, the median wait in Poland was 343 days, followed by Hungary at 209 days, and the UK at 174 days.
According to Luigi Siciliani of the University of York, these wide differences stem from varying capacity constraints, funding decisions, and a mismatch with growing demand from an aging population.