What is waiting time?

People admitted to NSW hospitals are classified as either emergency or booked patients. If a doctor feels that a patient should be admitted, but that the admission is not an emergency, the patient is then booked to come into hospital at some later date. Booked patients' details are placed on a register at the hospital.

So that hospitals can arrange waiting times to make sure that the sickest patients are treated first, the referring doctor indicates on the booking form how urgently each patient's admission is required. In some cases, this will be within days, in other cases within months.