Waiting Times
A | B | C | D | E | F | L | N | P | S | WA
Admitted patient
A patient accepted by a hospital for inpatient care.
A patient accepted by a hospital for inpatient care.
Average waiting time
The average of the actual waiting times (the time between the date of listing and the date of admission) for those patients admitted during the month. For example, if half of the patients admitted during the month had been waiting for one month and the other half had been waiting for three months, the average waiting time for the month would be two months.
The average of the actual waiting times (the time between the date of listing and the date of admission) for those patients admitted during the month. For example, if half of the patients admitted during the month had been waiting for one month and the other half had been waiting for three months, the average waiting time for the month would be two months.
B
Booked admission
The patient requires non-emergency admission to hospital (ie admission is required but need not occur within 24 hours) and has been booked in on the hospital's waiting list. These patients used to be called elective patients.
The patient requires non-emergency admission to hospital (ie admission is required but need not occur within 24 hours) and has been booked in on the hospital's waiting list. These patients used to be called elective patients.
Booked surgery
Surgery that is considered necessary by the treating clinician, but can be delayed for at least 24 hours.
Surgery that is considered necessary by the treating clinician, but can be delayed for at least 24 hours.
C
Clinical priority categories
Booked medical and surgical patients are categorised by clinical priority to make sure that they receive care within an appropriate amount of time.
Booked medical and surgical patients are categorised by clinical priority to make sure that they receive care within an appropriate amount of time.
The waiting times data in this site refers to people who are ready-for-care and who have been classified as priority category: 1, 2, 7, or 8. Data on patients who are classified as not-ready-for-care is not included.
A patient's clinical priority is allocated by their doctor. The clinical priority categories are:
• Emergency - admitted within 24 hours.
• 1 and 2 - Admitted within 30 days.
• 7 - Admitted within 90 days.
• 8 - Patient is ready to be admitted, but is neither category 1, 2, or 7.
• Ready-for-care - the treating clinician classifies the patient as ready to be admitted and prepared to accept admission when the procedure is offered.
• Not-ready-for-care - the patient is not ready for admission or wishes to delay for personal reasons. The patient is either staged or deferred.
• 1 and 2 - Admitted within 30 days.
• 7 - Admitted within 90 days.
• 8 - Patient is ready to be admitted, but is neither category 1, 2, or 7.
• Ready-for-care - the treating clinician classifies the patient as ready to be admitted and prepared to accept admission when the procedure is offered.
• Not-ready-for-care - the patient is not ready for admission or wishes to delay for personal reasons. The patient is either staged or deferred.
The staged patient has a medical condition that prevents them from being admitted until a future date. For example, they may be unfit to undergo an anaesthetic or are waiting for a check cystoscopy.
The deferred patient is unable to accept a date for admission for social or personal reasons.
D
Doctors' rooms list
A list of patients waiting for booked admission to hospital kept by a doctor.
A list of patients waiting for booked admission to hospital kept by a doctor.
Day only surgery
A patient is admitted to hospital and is discharged on the day of surgery.
A patient is admitted to hospital and is discharged on the day of surgery.
DOSA
An acronym for Day of Surgery Admission. DOSA involved patients who require an overnight stay in hospital following their procedure, but are admitted to hospital on the day of surgery.
An acronym for Day of Surgery Admission. DOSA involved patients who require an overnight stay in hospital following their procedure, but are admitted to hospital on the day of surgery.
E
Emergency patient
A patient whose clinical condition necessitates admission to hospital within 24 hours.
A patient whose clinical condition necessitates admission to hospital within 24 hours.
F
Fiftieth percentile (50th) waiting time
Fifty percent of the people admitted to hospital are admitted by a specified time. For example, a 50th percentile waiting time of two months for surgery means that half of the patients admitted were admitted within two months of going on the list.
Fifty percent of the people admitted to hospital are admitted by a specified time. For example, a 50th percentile waiting time of two months for surgery means that half of the patients admitted were admitted within two months of going on the list.
L
List transfers
Administrative changes relating to where waiting list details are kept. In some cases, doctors maintain a list a patients waiting for admission to hospital, only notifying the hospital of the patient's details at, or close to the time of, the patient's admission. In these cases, patients are not put on a hospital's waiting list until very shortly before their admission.
Administrative changes relating to where waiting list details are kept. In some cases, doctors maintain a list a patients waiting for admission to hospital, only notifying the hospital of the patient's details at, or close to the time of, the patient's admission. In these cases, patients are not put on a hospital's waiting list until very shortly before their admission.
NSW Department of Health policy is that hospitals should try to get the details of these patients at the time the doctor makes the decision to admit them. When doctors agree to supply these lists to the hospital rather than keeping them in their rooms, the patients are added to the hospital's waiting list. This known as a list transfer. It is not a change in demand for hospital services.
N
Ninetieth percentile (90th) waiting time
Ninety percent of the people admitted to hospital are admitted by a specified time. For example, a 90th percentile waiting time of 10 weeks means that 90 percent of patients admitted were admitted within 10 weeks of going on the list.
Ninety percent of the people admitted to hospital are admitted by a specified time. For example, a 90th percentile waiting time of 10 weeks means that 90 percent of patients admitted were admitted within 10 weeks of going on the list.
P
Pooled lists
At some hospitals, doctors in particular specialties have agreed to include their public patients on a combined list for that specialty. This means that patients may be treated by any one of the doctors belonging to the group. Patients may, therefore, be added to a waiting list by one doctor but admitted under another doctor. This does not mean that if a particular doctor is part of a pooled list group, that this doctor does not also list and admit patients apart from the pooled list patients. Pooled lists are generally set up for the more common routine procedures but more complex procedures would remain part of a particular doctor's list and admissions. A doctor's private patients would also not be included on a pooled list.
At some hospitals, doctors in particular specialties have agreed to include their public patients on a combined list for that specialty. This means that patients may be treated by any one of the doctors belonging to the group. Patients may, therefore, be added to a waiting list by one doctor but admitted under another doctor. This does not mean that if a particular doctor is part of a pooled list group, that this doctor does not also list and admit patients apart from the pooled list patients. Pooled lists are generally set up for the more common routine procedures but more complex procedures would remain part of a particular doctor's list and admissions. A doctor's private patients would also not be included on a pooled list.
S
Specialist
Doctors who have extra qualifications in one or more clinical areas of practice. Some examples of specialists are gynaecologists, ophthalmologists and neurosurgeons.
Doctors who have extra qualifications in one or more clinical areas of practice. Some examples of specialists are gynaecologists, ophthalmologists and neurosurgeons.
Specialty
A particular field of medicine that a specialist doctor practices, for example, orthopaedics, urology, and gynaecology.
A particular field of medicine that a specialist doctor practices, for example, orthopaedics, urology, and gynaecology.
Surgeon
A doctor who undertakes the treatment of injuries or disorders by performing surgery.
A doctor who undertakes the treatment of injuries or disorders by performing surgery.
Surgery
Branch of medicine concerned with treatment of injuries or disorders of the body by incision, manipulation or alteration of organs with the hands or with instruments. In broad terms, a booked surgery procedure is one performed in an operating theatre facility under some form of anaesthesia, where admission is not required within 24 hours of the decision to admit and the procedure is performed by a surgeon.
Branch of medicine concerned with treatment of injuries or disorders of the body by incision, manipulation or alteration of organs with the hands or with instruments. In broad terms, a booked surgery procedure is one performed in an operating theatre facility under some form of anaesthesia, where admission is not required within 24 hours of the decision to admit and the procedure is performed by a surgeon.
W
Waiting time
The amount of time, reported in days, weeks, or months, that a patient has waited for admission to hospital. It is measured from the day the hospital receives a Recommendation for Admission form for the patient until the patient is admitted.
The amount of time, reported in days, weeks, or months, that a patient has waited for admission to hospital. It is measured from the day the hospital receives a Recommendation for Admission form for the patient until the patient is admitted.
In the waiting times database, there are two waiting times. The first column shows the time by which 50 percent of admitted people were admitted to hospital. The majority of people (90 percent) were admitted by the time shown the second column. The technical terms for the two waiting times are the 50th and 90th percentile.
Waiting time coordinator
The person in each hospital or Area Health Service responsible for managing issues associated with booked patient waiting lists and waiting times.
The person in each hospital or Area Health Service responsible for managing issues associated with booked patient waiting lists and waiting times.
This web page is managed and authorised by Demand & Performance Evaluation of the NSW Department of Health. Last updated: 30 March, 2009