NHS Inpatient And Outpatient Waiting Times Figures For October 2006, UK
December 3, 2006 – 1:20 pm | posted in Public HealthNHS inpatient and outpatient waiting times figures up to the end of October 2006
Main Points This Month:
Inpatient Waiting times
- The number of patients, for whom English commissioners are responsible, waiting over 26 weeks at the end of October 2006 was 353. Of these 353, 16 were English residents waiting in Welsh hospitals.
- The number of patients, for whom English commissioners are responsible, waiting over 20 weeks at the end of October 2006 was 49,600, an increase of 1,000 from September 2006.
- The number of patients, for whom English commissioners are responsible, waiting over 13 weeks at the end of October 2006 was 188,300, a decrease of 4,500 (2.3%) from September, and a fall of 19,600 (9.4%) from October 2005.
- The percentage of patients waiting under 13 weeks was 75.4%, compared to 74.7% in September and 73.5% in October 2005. The median waiting time of those still waiting at the end of October 2006 was 6.9 weeks.
Outpatient Waiting times
- The number of patients, for whom English commissioners are responsible, waiting over 13 weeks for a first outpatient appointment at the end of October 2006 was 161. Of these 161, 139 were English residents waiting in Welsh hospitals.
- The number of patients, for whom English commissioners are responsible, waiting over 11 weeks at the end of October 2006 was 30,000, down 5,800 from September 2006.
- The number of patients, for whom English commissioners are responsible, waiting over 8 weeks at the end of October 2006 was 148,700, a fall of 32,900 (18.1%) from September, and a fall of 116,300 (43.9%) from October 2005.
- The percentage of patients waiting under 8 weeks was 86.3%, compared to 83.6% in September and 79.8% in October 2005. The median waiting time of those still waiting at the end of October 2006 was 3.8 weeks.
Inpatient Waiting Times
Table 1: Inpatient waiting list by time band - October 2003 to October 2006, England (Commissioner based)
| No of patients still waiting at month end by timeband1 | |||||
| Month ending | 0 to 13 weeks | 13 to 26 weeks | 26 plus weeks 2 | Total | Median wait (weeks)3 |
| 31 October 2003 | 539,716 | 253,447 | 163,230 | 956,393 | 11.5 |
| 31 October 2004 | 550,550 | 223,819 | 69,948 | 844,317 | 8.6 |
| 31 October 2005 | 575,218 | 183,061 | 24,847 | 783,126 | 7.5 |
| 30 September 2006 | 568,874 | 192,564 | 206 (29) | 761,644 | 7.4 |
| 31 October 2006 | 577,269 | 187,906 | 353 (16) | 765,528 | 6.9 |
1. Prior to April 2006, figures were collected and published in terms of months. For example, 0-13 weeks was 0-3 months, 13-26 weeks was 3-6 months, and 26 weeks plus was 6 months plus.
2. Number waiting at NHS Trusts in Wales in brackets
3. Median waiting time of those still waiting at the end of the period (see statistical notes)
Table 2: Proportion of inpatient waiting lists by time band - October 2003 to October 2006, England (Commissioner based)
| Proportion of Total Waiting List Waiting: | ||||
| Month ending | 0 to 13 weeks | 13 to 26 weeks | 26 plus weeks | Total |
| 31 October 2003 | 56.4% | 26.5% | 17.1% | 100% |
| 31 October 2004 | 65.2% | 26.5% | 8.3% | 100% |
| 31 October 2005 | 73.5% | 23.4% | 3.2% | 100% |
| 30 September 2006 | 74.7% | 25.3% | 0.0% | 100% |
| 31 October 2006 | 75.4% | 24.5% | 0.0% | 100% |
*Notes: Due to rounding figures for individual time bands may not always equal 100%
1. Prior to April 2006, figures were collected and published in terms of months. For example, 0-13 weeks was 0-3 months, 13-26 weeks was 3-6 months, and 26 weeks plus was 6 months plus.
Waiting List
Table 3: Inpatient waiting lists - October 2003 to October 2006, England
| Month | Provider based | Commissioner based |
| 31 October 2003 | 972,294 | 956,393 |
| 31 October 2004 | 857,529 | 844,317 |
| 31 October 2005 | 792,286 | 783,126 |
| 30 September 2006 | 774,665 | 761,644 |
| 31 October 2006 | 776,517 | 765,528 |
Outpatient waiting times
Table 4: Patients waiting for 1st consultant led outpatient appointment following GP referral - October 2003 to October 2006, England (Commissioner based)
| No of patients still waiting at end of month by timeband | ||||||
| Month | 0 to 4 weeks | 4 to 8 weeks | 8 to 13 weeks | 13 plus weeks1 | Total | Median wait (weeks)2 |
| 31 October 2003 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 31 October 2004 | 612,494 | 443,175 | 285,257 | 72,464 | 1,413,390 | 4.9 |
| 31 October 2005 | 612,352 | 434,458 | 236,660 | 28,374 | 1,311,844 | 4.4 |
| 30 September 2006 | 576,195 | 346,298 | 181,368 | 208 (185) | 1,104,069 | 3.8 |
| 31 October 2006 | 570,983 | 363,518 | 148,554 | 161 (139) | 1,083,216 | 3.8 |
1. Number waiting at NHS Trusts in Wales in brackets
2. Median waiting time of those still waiting at the end of the period (see statistical notes)
Table 5: Proportion of patients waiting for 1st consultant led outpatient appointment following GP referral by timeband - October 2003 to October 2006, England (Commissioner based)
| Proportion of Total Waiting List Waiting: | |||||
| Month | 0 to 4 weeks | 4 to 8 weeks | 8 to 13 weeks | 13 plus weeks | Total |
| 31 October 2003 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 31 October 2004 | 43.3% | 31.4% | 20.2% | 5.1% | 100% |
| 31 October 2005 | 46.7% | 33.1% | 18.0% | 2.2% | 100% |
| 30 September 2006 | 52.2% | 31.4% | 16.4% | 0.0% | 100% |
| 31 October 2006 | 52.7% | 33.6% | 13.7% | 0.0% | 100% |
Statistical Notes
1. Inpatient waiting times
Waiting times information is collected from English Primary Care Trusts on a responsible population basis (see note on next page) and from NHS Trusts on a provider basis.
In interpreting the figures it should be noted that about half of patients (not including live babies) treated in hospitals are emergency cases and do not come from the waiting lists.
This publication contains waiting list information on patients who are waiting to be admitted for treatment either as a day case or ordinary admission. It does not include:
- patients admitted as emergency cases
- outpatients
- patients undergoing a planned programme of treatment e.g. a series of admissions for chemotherapy
- expectant mothers booked for confinement
- patients already in hospital but included on other waiting lists
- patients who are temporarily suspended from waiting lists for social reasons or because they are known to be not medically ready for treatment
Waiting times begin from the date the clinician decided to admit the patient. Patients subsequently offered a date but unable to attend have their waiting times calculated from the most recent date offered. These are known as self-deferred cases and are included in the total waiting.
The tables include an element of estimation and incorporate all returns and amendments received from Primary Care Trusts and NHS Trusts up to 29th November 2006.
2. Outpatient waiting times
This publication relates to patients referred by a GP (medical or dental) for a consultant led first outpatient appointment. It does not include:
- patients referred by consultants and other health professionals;
- self referrals and attendances at ‘drop in’ clinics;
- referrals resulting in ward attendances for nursing care;
- referrals initiated by the consultant in charge of the clinic.
Waiting times begin from the receipt of a GP referral and end on the date of the 1st outpatient appointment.
3. Provider and Commissioner based lists
There are fundamental differences in coverage between commissioner based and provider based information. Commissioner based returns exclude all patients living outside England and all privately funded patients waiting for treatment in NHS hospitals. However they do include NHS funded patients, living in England, who are waiting for treatment in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, abroad, and at private hospitals; these patients are not included in the corresponding hospital based returns. Historically there has been a 1% to 3% difference in the overall size of the waiting lists reported for NHS provider trusts and English residents, the trust-based figure being the larger.
Commissioner based returns reflect responsible based populations, which is defined as:
Responsible Population:
- all those patients resident within the PCT boundary; plus
- all patients registered with GPs who are members of the PCT, but are resident in another PCT; minus
- All patients resident in the PCT, but registered with a GP who is a member of another PCT
4. Note on median waits
Median waiting times are calculated from aggregate data, rather than patient level data, and therefore are only estimates of the position on average waits. They represent the median waiting time for patients still waiting for admission (or for 1st outpatient appointment) at the end of the month.
The introduction of weekly timebands in April 2006 has enabled a more precise calculation of the median waiting time, whilst using the same methodology. Between April 2004 and March 2006, data were collected in monthly timebands, and prior to this in 3 monthly timebands. As the latest figures are calculated from weekly timebands (and more accurate), they are not strictly comparable to previous years.
Both the weekly and monthly methods can be mapped back to the ‘old’ 3 monthly timebands and the table below illustrates the differences:
| Period ending | Weekly timebands | Monthly timebands | Mapped back to 3 monthly bands |
| 30 June 2004 | n/a | 9.6 | 10.4 |
| 30 September 2004 | n/a | 9.2 | 10.1 |
| 31 December 2004 | n/a | 8.8 | 9.8 |
| 31 March 2005 | n/a | 8.5 | 9.6 |
| 30 June 2005 | n/a | 8.2 | 9.3 |
| 30 September 2005 | n/a | 7.9 | 9.2 |
| 31 December 2005 | n/a | 7.6 | 8.6 |
| 31 March 2006 | n/a | 7.3 | 8.6 |
| 30 June 2006 | 7.1 | n/a | 8.7 |
| 30 September 2006 | 7.4 | n/a | 8.7 |
| 31 October 2006 | 6.9 | n/a | 8.6 |
5. Revisions
Revisions to previous months data are made in line with the Department of Health’s revisions protocol for performance monitoring data. A copy of the protocol is attached at Annex A.
This month, the Department is revising figures for the whole of 2006/07 to reflect amendments supplied after publication. The tables in the statistical press notice reflect these revisions.
You must be logged in to post a comment.