Publication of the Quarterly NI Waiting List Statistics - Position at the 30th June 2016

The Department of Health today published the quarterly NI Waiting List Statistics, relating to the position at the 30th June 2016.

The Waiting List Statistics Releases show detailed information on the number of people waiting for a first outpatient appointment, a diagnostic test and inpatient or day case treatment at hospitals in the north of Ireland.

Key facts and figures for NI Waiting Times at end of June 2016

Waiting Times for a First Outpatient Appointment

• the 2016/17 Ministerial target relating to outpatient waiting times states that by March 2017, 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
• at 30th June 2016, a total of 225,593 people were waiting for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment, 4.9%, (10,442) more than at 31st March 2016 and 6.2% (13,151) more than at the 30th June 2015
• at the end of June 2016, 64.8% (146,167) of patients were waiting more than 9 weeks for a first outpatient appointment, compared with 63.2% (136,036) waiting at the end of March 2016 and 60.8% (129,224) at the end of June 2015
• at 30th June 2016, over one tenth (13.4%, 30,170) of patients were waiting longer than 52 weeks, 23.3% (5,702) more than at 31st March 2016, and almost three times (20,027) more than at 30th June 2015

Waiting Times for Inpatient and Day Case Admission

• the 2016/17 Ministerial target, for inpatient and day case waiting times, states that by March 2017, 55% of patients should wait no longer than 13 weeks for inpatient or day case treatment, with no patient waiting longer than 52 weeks
• at 30th June 2016 a total of 70,243 patients were waiting to be admitted to HSC hospitals, 3.5% (2,345) more than the 31st March 2016, and 16.8% (10,116) more than at 30th June 2015 (60,127)
• at the end of June 2016, 53.1% (37,308) of patients were waiting more than 13 weeks for either inpatient or day case admission, compared with 48.1% (32,676) at the end of March 2016 and 48.3% (29,028) at the end of June 2015
• there were 9.7% (6,787) of patients waiting longer than 52 weeks at the 30th June 2016, 13.9% (826) more than at 31st March 2016, and almost twice the number (3,381) waiting at the end of June 2015

Waiting Times for a Diagnostic Service

• the 2016/17 Ministerial target for diagnostic waiting times states that, by March 2017, 75% of patients should wait longer than nine weeks for a diagnostic test, with no patient waiting longer than 26 weeks
• at 30th June 2016, 96,252 patients were waiting for a diagnostic service at HSC hospitals, 2.9% (2,721) more than at 31st March 2016 (93,531) and 7.3% (6,566) more than at 30th June 2016 (89,686)
• over a third (34.1%, 32,824) of patients were waiting longer than 9 weeks at the end of June 2016, compared with 31.1% (29,088) at the end of March 2016 and 33.5% (30,061) at the end of June 2015
• at the end of June 2016, 6,918 (7.2%) of patients were waiting more than 26 weeks for a diagnostic test. This is an increase of 9.7% (611) compared with the end of March 2016 (6,307), and an increase of 6.7% (434) compared with the number waiting at the end of June 2015 (6,484)

Diagnostic Reporting Turnaround Times

• Belfast HSC Trust figures are unvalidated as a response was not provided to validation queries prior to release. Comparing trend data over the last year it is highly likely that the Belfast HSCT figures for quarter ending June 2016 are overestimated. As such figures will be revised in the next publication release
• the 2016/17 Ministerial target for diagnostic reporting times states that, from April 2016, all urgent diagnostic tests should be reported on within two days of the test being undertaken

• a total of 420,361 diagnostic tests were reported on and dispatched to the referring clinician at hospitals during quarter ending June 2016. An increase of 12.9% (47,959) compared to quarter ending March 2016 (372,402), and 13.2% (48,971) more than quarter ending June 2015 (371,390).

• as a whole, 86.8% of all urgent diagnostic tests were reported on within 2 days in the quarter ending June 2016, compared to 87.9% in the previous quarter and 89.1% for the same quarter last year
• the South Eastern HSC Trust reported the highest proportion of urgent tests within two days (95.2%), with the other HSC Trusts reporting between 79.3% and 93.3% of urgent tests within 2 days

Notes to editors: 

1. All publications are available online

2.  About the data

• the sources for the data contained in this release are the Departmental Information Returns CH3, SDR1, DRTT and the DoH Inpatient Waiting Time Dataset. These returns collect information from HSC Trusts and the Health and Social Care Board on a quarterly basis
• figures will also include privately funded patients waiting to be seen/treatment in Health Service hospitals and those patients who are resident outside the north of Ireland
• data incorporate all returns and amendments received from HSC Trusts up to 19th August 2016

3. Outpatient definitions

• an outpatient appointment is an appointment to enable a patient to see a consultant, a member of their team or a locum for such a member, in respect of one referral
• the waiting list figures include all outpatients who have not had their first appointments by the end of the quarter including those who have cancelled or missed a previous appointment
• the outpatient waiting list figures presented do not include maternity specialties 501 (Obstetrics), 510 (Obstetrics (Ante Natal)) and 520 (Obstetrics (Post Natal))

Inpatient and Day Case definitions

• inpatient admissions include both (a) patients admitted electively with the expectation that they will remain in hospital for at least one night, and (b) non-elective admissions (e.g. emergency admissions).  A patient who is admitted with either of the above intentions, but who leaves hospital for any reason without staying overnight, is still counted as an ordinary admission. The figures in this statistics release only include non-emergency admissions
• Day Cases are patients admitted electively during the course of a day with the intention of receiving care who do not require the use of a hospital bed overnight and who return home as scheduled.  If this original intention is not fulfilled and the patient stays overnight, such a patient is counted as an ordinary admission
• 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
  • outpatients
  • patients undergoing a planned programme of treatment e.g. a series of admissions for chemotherapy
  • maternity (specialties 510 and 520)
  • patients currently receiving inpatient treatment in hospitals but who are included on other waiting lists
  • patients who are temporarily suspended from waiting lists

5. 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
  • patients waiting for procedures as part of a screening programme

6. 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; Radio-Nuclide Imaging; Pure Tone Audiometry; Echocardiography; Perfusion Studies; Peripheral Neurophysiology; Sleep Studies; and Urodynamics Pressures and Flows

7. This information was collated by Hospital Information Branch, DoH.

Further information is available from:

Hospital Information Branch
Department of Health
Annexe 2, Castle Buildings
Stormont, BT4 3SQ

Telephone: 028 90 522081

E-mail: Statistics@health-ni.gov.uk

8. Media queries to DoH Press Office on 02890 520074, or out of hours contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 076 9971 5440 and your call will be returned. Follow us on Twitter @healthdpt

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