Publication of the Quarterly Northern Ireland Outpatient, Inpatient and Day Case, and Diagnostic Waiting Times Statistics - position on 31 March 2025
Date published:
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 31 March 2025.
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, in Northern HSC Trust on 7 November 2024, and in Southern and Western HSC Trusts on 8 May 2025. Given the relatively recent transition of Northern Trust to completely digitised health records, no validated disaggregated data for outpatient waits or diagnostic waits were available for this Trust at the time of publication.
The data which it has been possible to include for Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts have been presented separately, as they are not directly comparable with the other Trusts. These figures, sourced from encompass, are considered to be ‘official statistics in development’, which are a subset of Official Statistics in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics. While caution must be exercised when using these figures, they are a meaningful representation of what they measure and are of sufficient quality for publication and use.***
Waiting Times for a First Outpatient Appointment
- The figures provided separately for Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts are from encompass and are considered to be ‘official statistics in development’. Therefore, caution must be exercised when using these figures. Validated disaggregated data for Northern HSC Trust were not available at the time of publication.
- The draft target for outpatient waiting times states that 50% of patients should wait no longer than nine weeks for a first outpatient appointment, with no patient waiting longer than 52 weeks.
- At 31 March 2025, no HSC Trust met either element of the outpatient waiting times target.
Southern and Western HSC Trusts
- 172,452 patients were waiting for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment at hospitals in the Southern and Western HSC Trusts on 31 March 2025, 3% (5,000) more than on 31 December 2024 (167,452), and 12.1% (18,611) more than on 31 March 2024 (153,841).
- The median waiting time was 68 weeks and the 95th percentile waiting time was 293.9 weeks.
- 85.8% (147,975) of patients were waiting more than nine weeks for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment on 31 March 2025, compared with 87.8% (147,048) on 31 December 2024 and 84.7% (130,228) on 31 March 2024.
- 57.1% (98,495) of patients were waiting more than 52 weeks for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment on 31 March 2025, compared with 56.5% (94,588) on 31 December 2024 and 53.5% (82,280) on 31 March 2024.
Belfast and South Eastern HSC Trusts
- 271,963 patients were waiting for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment at hospitals in the Belfast and South Eastern HSC Trusts on 31 March 2025.
- The median waiting time was 62.6 weeks and the 95th percentile waiting time was 314.9 weeks.
- 86.2% (234,378) of patients were waiting more than nine weeks for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment on 31 March 2025.
- 55.7% (151,463) of patients were waiting more than 52 weeks for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment on 31 March 2025.
Northern HSC Trust
- 84,629 patients were waiting for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment at hospitals in the Northern HSC Trust on 31 March 2025.
Waiting Times for Inpatient and Day Case Admission
- The figures provided separately for Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts are from encompass and are considered to be ‘official statistics in development’. Therefore, caution must be exercised when using these figures.
- The draft target for inpatient and day case waiting times states that 55% of patients should wait no longer than 13 weeks for inpatient/ day case treatment; with no patient waiting longer than 52 weeks.
- At 31 March 2025, no HSC Trust met either component of the inpatient and day case waiting times target.
Southern and Western HSC Trusts
- 31,458 patients were waiting for inpatient or day case admission to hospitals in the Southern and Western HSC Trusts on 31 March 2025, 9.3% (3,232) fewer than on 31 December 2024 (34,690), and 27.4% (11,896) fewer than on 31 March 2024 (43,354).
- The median waiting time was 50.6 weeks and the 95th percentile was 301.5 weeks (approximately 5 years and 41 weeks).
- 74.3% (23,383) of patients were waiting more than 13 weeks for admission, compared with 78.4% (27,209) on 31 December 2024 and 76.7% (33,271) on 31 March 2024.
- 49.5% (15,574) of patients were waiting more than 52 weeks for admission, compared with 54.9% (19,039) on 31 December 2024 and 51.2% (22,217) on 31 March 2024.
Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts
- 71,175 patients were waiting for inpatient or day case admission to hospitals in the Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts on 31 March 2025.
- The median waiting time was 35.9 weeks and the 95th percentile was 319.8 weeks (approximately 6 years and 7 weeks).
- 67.2% (47,863) of patients were waiting more than 13 weeks for admission.
- 42.6% (30,302) of patients were waiting more than 52 weeks for admission.
Waiting Times for a Diagnostic Service
- The figures provided separately for Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts are from encompass and are considered to be ‘official statistics in development’. Therefore, caution must be exercised when using these figures. Validated disaggregated data for Northern Trust were not available at the time of publication.
- The draft target for diagnostic waiting times states that 75% of patients should wait no longer than nine weeks for a diagnostic test, with no patient waiting longer than 26 weeks.
- At 31 March 2025, no HSC Trust met either component of the diagnostic waiting times target.
Southern and Western HSC Trusts
- 71,363 patients were waiting for a diagnostic test in the Southern and Western HSC Trusts at 31 March 2025, 3.6% (2,663) more than on 31 December 2024 (74,026), and 0.7% (467) more than on 31 March 2024 (71,830).
- 62.5% (44,578) of patients were waiting more than 9 weeks for a diagnostic test, compared with 66.6% (49,322) on 31 December 2024 and 60.8% (43,646) on 31 March 2024.
- 36.5% (26,030) of patients were waiting more than 26 weeks for a diagnostic test compared with 38.5% (28,523) on 31 December 2024 and 32.9% (23,625) on 31 March 2024.
Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts
- 158,006 patients were waiting for a diagnostic test in the Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts at 31 March 2025.
- 62.4% (98,533) of patients were waiting more than 9 weeks for a diagnostic test.
- 40.3% (63,640) of patients were waiting more than 26 weeks for a diagnostic test.
Diagnostic Reporting Turnaround Times
- The figures provided separately for Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts are from encompass and are considered to be ‘official statistics in development’. Therefore, caution must be exercised when using these figures.
- The draft target for diagnostic reporting times states that all urgent diagnostic tests should be reported on within two days of the test being undertaken.
- During the quarter ending March 2025, no HSC Trust achieved the diagnostic reporting times target.
Southern and Western HSC Trusts
- 170,633 diagnostic tests were reported on at hospitals in the Southern and Western HSC Trusts during the quarter ending March 2025. Of these, 26.1% (44,487) were urgent tests and the remaining 73.9% (126,146) were routine tests.
- Of the 44,487 urgent diagnostic tests, 82.2% (36,581) were reported on within 2 days.
Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts
- 288,734 diagnostic tests were reported on at hospitals in the Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts during the quarter ending March 2025. Of these, 29.6% (85,353) were urgent tests and the remaining 70.4% (203,381) were routine tests.
- Of the 85,353 urgent diagnostic tests, 71.0% (60,566) were reported on within 2 days.
Notes to editors:
1. The publications are available online at:
2. 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.
3. 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. Unlike legacy (pre-encompass) data, figures sourced from encompass are currently taken from the point of completed patient triage.
4. 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.
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; or
- 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;
- 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.
7. This information is provided by Hospital Waits Information Branch, Department of Health. Further information is available from:
Hospital Waits Information Branch
Department of Health
Annexe 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/hospital-waiting-times-statistics
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