As NHS waiting times reach record highs, a new study reveals that Birmingham offers the best access to healthcare among major UK cities.
By June 2025, the average waiting time for planned hospital treatment had risen to 13 weeks, nearly double the 7.5-week average recorded in 2019. In July, nearly a quarter of A&E patients (23.6%) waited over four hours, while more than 35,000 experienced delays exceeding 12 hours. These figures highlight the growing strain on the NHS and the importance of accessible healthcare infrastructure.
Study highlights major city disparities
To assess where residents are best served, leading laser eye clinic Focus Clinics analysed data from 50 major UK cities. The research examined access to hospitals, GPs, pharmacies, dental practices, opticians, and specialist clinics, including sexual health, aesthetic, dermatology, and physiotherapy services. Each city received an overall accessibility score out of 100.
Top-ranking cities
Birmingham topped the list with an access score of 78.31, supported by 16 hospitals, 22 pharmacies, and solid GP coverage (16 per 100,000 people).
Leeds ranked second with 74.61, noted for its strong availability of dental practices and opticians.
Leicester followed in third (69.04), offering the highest concentration of opticians within a mile of the city centre.
Other notable findings include:
- Liverpool, York, and Wolverhampton each recorded the highest number of GP surgeries per 100,000 residents (18).
- Cambridge had the most dental practices (20 per 100,000 residents).
- Sheffield performed well across categories, with strong hospital and physiotherapy access.
- Bristol stood out for specialist care, offering the most physiotherapy and eye care clinics among all cities.
Top 10 UK Cities for Healthcare Access
| Rank | City | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham | 78.31 |
| 2 | Leeds | 74.61 |
| 3 | Leicester | 69.04 |
| 4 | Sheffield | 67.48 |
| 5 | Bristol | 66.41 |
| 6 | Sunderland | 65.61 |
| 7 | Manchester | 65.07 |
| 8 | Cambridge | 62.70 |
| 9 | Liverpool | 61.38 |
| 10 | Nottingham | 60.25 |
These results suggest that cities with robust infrastructure can help offset national backlogs. In Birmingham, for example, the high number of hospitals and pharmacies reduces barriers to early diagnosis and care, a significant advantage as 7.4 million people await elective treatment across the UK.
Cities struggling with access
At the other end of the spectrum, Bexley, Crawley, and Reading ranked lowest for healthcare accessibility, followed by Slough and Swindon.
Bexley in particular scored just 15.83, hindered by limited specialist services and below-average GP availability (11 surgeries per 100,000 residents).
Low-ranking cities also had fewer opticians near their centres; Bexley offers only two, Crawley three, and Bournemouth five.
Bottom 10 UK Cities for Healthcare Access
| Rank | City | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bexley | 15.83 |
| 2 | Crawley | 20.08 |
| 3 | Reading | 22.20 |
| 4 | Slough | 22.26 |
| 5 | Swindon | 26.84 |
| 6 | Ipswich | 28.62 |
| 7 | Plymouth | 28.76 |
| 8 | Luton | 30.14 |
| 9 | Bournemouth | 31.86 |
| 10 | Kingston upon Hull | 32.30 |
Broader implications for healthcare equality
The findings mirror national inequalities. Government data shows that patients in deprived areas face heavier GP workloads — with London averaging 2,501 patients per GP compared to 1,967 in the South West. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities also reports higher hospital admission rates for infectious diseases among certain ethnic groups in deprived zones.
The NHS’s 10 Year Health Plan, launched in July 2025, aims to reduce these disparities by introducing transparent league tables comparing providers by quality, wait times, and patient outcomes. These rankings will be made available through the NHS App later this year.
Closing the healthcare gap
According to Focus Clinics, proximity to care directly influences treatment speed and outcomes. In top-ranked Birmingham, the 16 hospitals per capita act as a buffer against the national median treatment wait of 13.1 weeks, up from 7.3 before the pandemic.
The study concludes that unequal access to healthcare remains a pressing issue. Cities that prioritise medical infrastructure offer residents a tangible advantage — not only in convenience, but also in early detection, treatment quality, and long-term well-being.
As policymakers review GP funding allocations to favour deprived areas, findings like these underscore the need for equitable access to care across the UK.