Website of the Department of Health

Statistical Notes

1. Inpatient waiting lists

Waiting list information is collected from English Primary Care Trusts on a responsible population basis (see note on next page) and from NHS Trusts on a hospital 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 7thJuly 2004.

3. Hospital and Commissioner based lists

There are fundamental differences in coverage between commissioner based and hospital 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 hospital trusts and English residents, the trust-based figure being the larger.

The differences are summarised in the diagram which can be viewed by clicking on the link below.

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. June 2002 Commissioner data

Up until March 2002 commissioner based data was collected from health authorities. June 2002 was the first time that commissioner based data was collected from PCTs.

5. Revisions

Department of Health policy is to publish revised figures with subsequent statistical releases unless it is decided that the magnitude of the change merits earlier notification.

6. Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH)

An investigation into waiting list management is taking place at RNOH.  Any requirement to revise publish figures as a result of this investigation will be in line with the above policy.

Additional Information

Full details of waiting lists and times for individual health authorities and trusts are available from the addresses below.

Media enquiries ONLY contact:
Press Office
Department of Health
Richmond House
Telephone: 020 7210 5221

Non media enquiries ONLY contact:
Waiting Lists Analysis
Department of Health
Room 4N34
Quarry House
Quarry Hill
Leeds LS2 7UE
Email: MB-Waiting-Times@doh.gsi.gov.uk

DH Public Enquiry Line: 020 7210 4850