NHS WAITING LIST FIGURES TO 30 SEPTEMBER 2004

12 Nov 2004 10:15 AM

Prepared by the Government Statistical Service
Main Points This Month

Waiting times

- The number of patients, for whom English commissioners are responsible, waiting over 9 months at the end of September 2004 was 122. This is 43,000 lower than September 2003. Of these 122, 13 were English residents waiting in Welsh hospitals.

- At the end of September, of the 122 waiting over 9 months, 19 patients for whom English commissioners are responsible were waiting over 12 months, of which 5 were waiting in Welsh trusts.

Waiting lists

- The total number of patients waiting to be admitted to NHS hospitals in England at the end of September 2004 was 856,600; a fall of 4,500 (0.5%) since the end of August 2004, and a fall of 117,000 (12.0%) since September 2003.

Waiting Times

Table 1: Waiting list by time band - September 2003 to September 2004, England (Commissioner based)

Month Waiting
time
(months)
0 to 5 6 to 8 9 to 11 12 plus All patients
(000s) (000s) (000s)
30 782.2 135.0 42,700 114 960.1
September
2003
30 June 796.9 74.4 19 61 871.3
2004
31 July 790.6 70.9 183 98 861.7
2004
31 August 776.7 72.1 135 21 848.9
2004
30 767.9 74.9 103 19 843.0
September
2004

Table 1A: Patients waiting 9 months or more - August 2004, England (Commissioner based)

9 Plus 12 Plus
Total 122 19
Of whom 109 14
patients
waiting at
English Trusts

Table 2: Proportion of Waiting lists by time band - September 2003 to September 2004, England (Commissioner based)

Proportion of Total Waiting List Waiting:

Proportion of
Total Waiting
List Waiting:
Month 0 to 5 months 6 to 8 9 to11 12 plus Total
months months months
30 81.5% 14.1% 4.4% 0.0% 100%
September
2003
30 June 91.5% 8.5% 0.0% 0.0% 100%
2004
31 July 91.7% 8.2% 0.0% 0.0% 100%
2004
31 August 91.5% 8.5% 0.0% 0.0% 100%
2004
30 91.1% 8.9% 0.0% 0.0% 100%
September
2004

*Note: Due to rounding figures for individual time bands may not always equal 100%

Table 3: Waiting lists by time band - September 2003 to September 2004, England (hospital based)

Waiting
Time
(months)
Month 0 to 5 6 to 8 9 to 12 plus All
(000s) (000s) 11 patients
(000s)
30 793.2 136.5 43,400 308 973.6
September
2003
30 June 809.2 75.3 334 553 885.4
2004
31 July 800.9 71.6 459 564 873.6
2004
31 August 787.2 73.0 421 447 861.1
2004
30 780.3 75.5 419 405 856.6
September
2004

Table 4: Proportion of Waiting lists by time band - September 2003 to September 2004, England (hospital based)

Proportion of Total Waiting List Waiting:

Proportion of
Total Waiting
List Waiting:
Month 0 to 5 months 6 to 8 9 to11 12 plus Total
months months months
30 81.5% 14.0% 4.5% 0.0% 100%
September
2003
30 June 91.4% 8.5% 0.0% 0.1% 100%
2004
31 July 91.7% 8.2% 0.1% 0.1% 100%
2004
31 August 91.4% 8.5% 0.0% 0.1% 100%
2004
30 91.1% 8.8% 0.0% 0.0% 100%
September
2004

*Note: Due to rounding figures for individual time bands may not always equal 100%

Waiting List

Table 5: Monthly waiting lists - September 2003 to September 2004; England (hospital based)

Month Number Change since
ending waiting previous month
(000s)
Number (000s) Per cent
30 973.6 -10.6 -1.1%
September
2003
30 June 885.4 -8.4 -0.9%
2004
31 July 873.6 -11.8 -1.3%
2004
31 August 861.1 -12.5 -1.4%
2004
30 856.6 -4.5 -0.5%
September
2004

Table 6: Waiting lists - September 2003 to September 2004; England (000s)

Month Hospital based Commissioner based
30 September 973.6 960.1
2003
30 June 2004 885.4 871.3
31 July 2004 873.6 861.7
31 August 2004 861.1 848.9
30 September 856.6 843.0
2004

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 10th November 2004.

2. 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.

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

3. 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.

4. 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.

Additional Information

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

Waiting Lists Analysis
Department of Health
Room 4N34
Quarry House
Quarry Hill
Leeds LS2 7UE