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Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Answer

The median waiting times for in-patient admissions and out-patient appointments is shown in the table.Information on the average waiting time for out-patient operations is not collected centrally. While some procedures might take place in out-patients, when an operation is required this will most likely be in an in-patient setting either as a day case or overnight admission.The in-patient/out-patient waiting times data do not indicate what treatment the patient received.

Median waiting time (weeks)
	Patients still waiting at period end	Patients seen during the quarter
Period ending:	In-patient	Out-patient	Out-patient
March 1997	13.2	n/a	n/a
June 1997	13.6	n/a	6.3
March 1998	14.9	n/a	6.4
March 1999	12.9	n/a	7.0
March 2000	12.9	n/a	7.7
March 2001	12.6	n/a	7.5
March 2002	12.7	n/a	7.6
March 2003	11.9	n/a	7.4
March 2004	10.2	n/a	7.1
March 2005	8.5	4.8	7.0
March 2006	7.3	3.7	6.1
March 2007	6.2	3.2	5.2
March 2008	4.5	2.6	n/a
March 2009	4.0	2.4	n/a
November 2009	4.2	2.8	n/a
Notes:
1. Out-patient waiting times are measured from referral by the general practitioner to first out-patient appointment to the consultant.
2. In-patient waiting times are measured from decision to admit to admission.
3. Out-patient commissioner data only available from June 1997.
4. Full out-patient waiting list only available from 2004-05, hence no median available on this basis before then.
5. Out-patient waiting times on a 'seen' basis ceased in September 2007.
6. Median waiting times are calculated from aggregate data, rather than patient level data, and therefore are only estimates of the average wait.
Source:
Department of Health QM08R, QFO1 and monthly monitoring collections

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

504 c117-8W; 310463

Session

2009-10

Subjects

Hospitals Waiting lists

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk