The Department of Health today published the quarterly Northern Ireland Outpatient, Inpatient and Day Case, and Diagnostic Waiting Times Statistics, relating to the position on 30 June 2024.
The waiting times statistical bulletins provide detailed information on the number of people waiting for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment, inpatient/ day case treatment, or a diagnostic test at hospitals in Northern Ireland.
On 9 November 2023 the South Eastern Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust launched ‘encompass’‑a new electronic patient record system. The system also went live in Belfast HSC Trust on 6 June 2024. Its rollout across the other Trusts will follow on a phased basis throughout 2024/25.
Consequently, as Belfast and South Eastern HSC Trusts continue to transition to completely digitised health records at the time of publication, the data which it has been possible to include for them are considered to be ‘official statistics in development’ and are presented separately. Therefore, caution must be exercised when using these figures.
Charts and figures presented throughout these statistical bulletins will not usually include the Belfast or South Eastern HSC Trusts. This is to allow comparisons to be made for the three remaining HSC Trusts over previous years. As such, any Northern Ireland level figures presented only include data for the Northern, Southern and Western HSC Trusts.
Waiting Times for a First Outpatient Appointment
1. Figures in this section do not include the Belfast HSC Trust as validated data were not available at the time of publication. The figures provided separately for South Eastern HSC Trust are from encompass and are considered to be ‘official statistics in development’ Therefore, caution must be exercised when using these figures.
Northern, Southern and Western HSC Trusts
2. The draft 2024/25 target for outpatient waiting times states that by March 2025, at least 50% of patients should wait no longer than nine weeks for a first outpatient appointment, with no patient waiting longer than 52 weeks.
3. 230,530 patients were waiting for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment at hospitals in the Northern, Southern and Western HSC Trusts on 30 June 2024, 1.6% (3,810) less than on 31 March 2024 (234,340), and 9.4% (19,792) more than on 30 June 2023 (210,738).
4. The median waiting time was 55.7 weeks and the 95th percentile waiting time was 263.4 weeks.
5. 84.2% (194,207) of patients were waiting more than nine weeks for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment on 30 June 2024, compared with 84.0% (196,934) on 31 March 2024 and 82.6% (174,024) on 30 June 2023.
6. 50.8% (117,027) of patients were waiting more than 52 weeks for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment on 30 June 2024, compared with 50.2% (117,690) on 31 March 2024 and 47.6% (100,331) on 30 June 2023.
South Eastern HSC Trust
7. 110,901 patients were waiting for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment at hospitals in the South Eastern HSC Trust on 30 June 2024, 4.4% (4,724) more than on 31 March 2024 (106,177), and 14.5% (14,043) more than on 31 December 2023 (96,858)
8. 87.2% (96,673) of patients were waiting more than nine weeks for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment on 30 June 2024, compared with 85.5% (90,804) on 31 March 2024 and 86.1% (83,413) on 31 December 2023.
9. 56.9% (63,141) of patients were waiting more than 52 weeks for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment on 30 June 2024, compared with 56.2% (59,646) on 31 March 2024 and 56.5% (54,759) on 31 December 2023.
Waiting Times for Inpatient and Day Case Admission
1. The figures provided separately for South Eastern and Belfast HSC Trusts are from encompass and are considered to be ‘official statistics in development’. Therefore, caution must be exercised when using these figures.
2. The draft 2024/25 target for inpatient and day case waiting times states that by March 2025, 55% of patients should wait no longer than 13 weeks for inpatient/ day case treatment; with no patient waiting longer than 52 weeks.
Northern, Southern and Western HSC Trusts
3. 52,054 patients were waiting for inpatient or day case admission to hospitals in the Northern, Southern and Western HSC Trusts on 30 June 2024, 4.0% (2,153) fewer than on 31 March 2024 (54,207), and 17.5% (11,034) less than on 30 June 2023 (63,088).
4. The median waiting time was 47.6 weeks and the 95th percentile was 268.6 weeks (approximately 5 years and 9 weeks).
5. 75.2% (39,142) of patients were waiting more than 13 weeks for admission, compared with 75.0% (40,652) on 31 March 2024 and 75.5% (47,650) on 30 June 2023.
6. 48.3% (25,147) of patients were waiting more than 52 weeks for admission, compared with 47.9% (25,973) on 31 March 2024 and 49.1% (30,949) on 30 June 2023.
South Eastern HSC Trust
7. 13,020 patients were waiting for inpatient or day case admission to hospitals in the South Eastern HSC Trust on 30 June 2024, 3.4% (432) more than on 31 March 2024 (12,588), and 7.7% (936) more than on 31 December 2023 (12,084).
8. 64.4% (8,389) of patients were waiting more than 13 weeks for admission, compared with 62.9% (7,920) on 31 March 2024 and 68.4% (8,269) on 31 December 2023.
9. 35.4% (4,611) of patients were waiting more than 52 weeks for admission, compared with 37.2% (4,684) on 31 March 2024 and 43.1% (5,207) on 31 December 2023.
Belfast HSC Trust
10. 42,797 patients were waiting for inpatient or day case admission to hospitals in the Belfast HSC Trust on 30 June 2024.
Waiting Times for a Diagnostic Service
1. Figures in this section do not include the Belfast and South Eastern HSC Trusts, as validated data were not available at the time of publication.
2. The draft 2024/25 target for diagnostic waiting times states that, by March 2025, 75% of patients should wait no longer than nine weeks for a diagnostic test, with no patient waiting longer than 26 weeks.
3. 121,677 patients were waiting for a diagnostic test in the Northern, Southern and Western HSC Trusts on 30 June 2024, 4.8% (5,545) more than on 31 March 2024 (116,132), and 14.5% (15,454) more than on 30 June 2023 (106,223).
4. 61.4% (74,713) of patients were waiting more than 9 weeks for a diagnostic test, compared with 59.9% (69,517) on 31 March 2024 and 53.9% (57,257) on 30 June 2023.
5. 35.2% (42,828) of patients were waiting more than 26 weeks for a diagnostic test compared with 31.9% (37,070) on 31 March 2024 and 25.5% (27,036) on 30 June 2023.
Diagnostic Reporting Turnaround Times
1. Figures in this section do not include the Belfast and South Eastern HSC Trusts, as validated data were not available at the time of publication.
2. The draft 2024/25 target for diagnostic reporting times states that, by March 2025, all urgent diagnostic tests should be reported on within two days of the test being undertaken.
3. 267,522 diagnostic tests were reported on and dispatched to the referring clinician at hospitals in the Northern, Southern and Western HSC Trusts during the quarter ending June 2024. Of these, 30.3% (80,953) were urgent tests and the remaining 69.7% (186,569) were routine tests.
4. Of the 80,953 urgent diagnostic tests, 77.9% (63,024) were reported on within two days of the test being undertaken.
Notes to editors:
The publications are available online at:
About the Data
The sources for the data contained in these releases are:
- HSC Trust Patient Administration Systems;
- encompass;
- DoH Outpatient Waiting Times Dataset;
- DoH CH3, QOAR, R-QOAR, V-QOAR and IS1 part 1 outpatient activity returns;
- DoH Inpatient Waiting Times Dataset;
- Hospital Inpatient System;
- DoH IS1 part 2 inpatient activity return;
- DoH SDR1 diagnostics return; and
- DOH DRTT diagnostics return.
Outpatient Definitions
An outpatient appointment is to enable a patient to see a consultant or a member of their team following an outpatient referral. While most referrals will be from a GP, they may also be received from a range of other sources.
These appointments provide an opportunity for consultation, investigation, and minor treatment. Appointments can be face-to-face or virtual and patients are not admitted into hospital.
A first attendance is the first of a series or the only attendance at an outpatient service.
Waiting time for a first outpatient appointment begins on the date the HSC Trust receives a referral to a consultant‑led service.
Inpatient and Day Case Definitions
Inpatient and day case waiting list data comprise the number of patients waiting for inpatient and day case admission to hospital.
Inpatient admissions are patients admitted electively, with the expectation that they will remain in hospital for at least one night.
Day case admissions are patients admitted electively with the expectation that, although they may require supervised recovery, they do not require the use of a hospital bed overnight and will return home as scheduled the same day.
Waiting time begins from the date the clinician decided to admit the patient.
The waiting list figures presented include people waiting to be admitted as inpatients either as day cases or inpatient admissions. They do not include:
- Patients admitted as emergency cases;
- Patients waiting for planned admission i.e. patients given proposed date of admission determined by social or clinical criteria;
- Patients undergoing a planned programme of treatment e.g. a series of admissions for chemotherapy;
- Patients waiting for admission as a regular day or night attender;
- Patients waiting for maternity specialties (except where the intention is to terminate the pregnancy);
- Patients waiting who are currently admitted for another reason; or
- Patients who are temporarily suspended for medical or social reasons.
Diagnostic Service Definitions
A diagnostic service provides an examination, test or procedure used to identify a person’s disease or condition and which allows a medical diagnosis to be made.
The diagnostic waiting list figures presented include people waiting for a test with a diagnostic element including tests that are part diagnostic and subsequently part therapeutic. They do not include:
- Patients currently admitted to a hospital bed and waiting for an emergency procedure;
- Purely therapeutic procedures. A therapeutic procedure is defined as a procedure which involves actual treatment of a person’s disease, condition or injury;
- Patients undergoing a planned programme of tests; or
- Patients waiting for procedures as part of a screening programme.
Diagnostic Reporting Times Definitions
The diagnostic reporting turnaround time is the length of time between the diagnostic test being undertaken and the results being verified and dispatched to the referring clinician.
Diagnostic reporting times apply to a selected subset of diagnostic services. These services are:
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging;
- Computerised Tomography;
- Non-Obstetric Ultrasound;
- Plain Film X-rays;
- Barium Studies;
- DEXA Scan;
- Radionuclide Imaging;
- Pure Tone Audiometry;
- Echocardiography;
- Perfusion Studies;
- Peripheral Neurophysiology;
- Sleep Studies; and
- Urodynamics Pressures and Flows.
Day case endoscopies are reported on the day of the test and are, therefore, not included in diagnostic reporting times.
This information is provided by Hospital Information Branch, Department of Health. Further information is available from:
Hospital Information Branch
Department of Health
Annex 2, Castle Buildings
Stormont
BT4 3SQ.
Telephone: 028 9076 5725
e-mail: Statistics@health-ni.gov.uk
Internet: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/topics/dhssps-statistics-and-research/hospital-waiting-times-statistics
For media enquiries please contact the DoH Press Office by email pressoffice@health-ni.gov.uk.
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