Therapy services: median waiting times, October 2009 onwards
Next update expected:21 May 2026
Updates
- 27th April 2026
Metadata updated
- 23rd April 2026
New month added
- 19th March 2026
New month added.
- 19th February 2026
New month added
- 22nd January 2026
New month added
- 18th December 2025
New month added.
- 21st November 2025
- 23rd October 2025
- Dataset first published.
Main information
- Designation
- Accredited official statistics
- Data provider
- Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW)
- Data source
- Diagnostic and Therapy Services Waiting Times (DATS)
Overview
- Summary of dataset and variables
Information on waiting times, reported by Local Health Boards, for specified therapy services for the NHS in Wales.
The median waiting time is the middle wait when all waits are ordered from shortest to longest, so half of all waits last within this time. It is commonly used in preference to the mean as it is less susceptible to extreme values.
- Data collection or calculation
Data are drawn from Local Health Board administrative systems relating to the management of patients who have been referred for a diagnostic service. Data are reported monthly by Local Health Boards via Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW). The data collection has been in place since October 2009.
In April 2019 health service provision for residents of Bridgend local authority moved from Abertawe Bro Morgannwg to Cwm Taf. The health board names changed, with Cwm Taf University Health Board becoming Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, and Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board becoming Swansea Bay University Health Board.
- Statistical quality
Data definitions and standards are mandated by the Welsh Information Standards Board (WISB).
Continuity in the data series is affected by the following quality issues:
Data for Diagnostic Endoscopy, Dietetics, Occupational Therapy, Physiological Measurement, Physiotherapy and Speech Language for Withybush General Hospital (Hywel Dda Health Board) were estimated for September 2010 – May 2011 using data from August 2010.
Physiotherapy data for October 2012 for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board were estimated using data for September 2012, and data for February 2013 were estimated using data from January 2013.
Radiology & imaging data for June 2013 for Cardiff and Vale University LHB were estimated using data for May 2013.
Neurophysiology data for April 2014 for Betsi Cadwaladr University LHB were estimated using data for March 2014.
Figures for nuclear medicine for Aneurin Bevan were under reported between February and July 2015. During these months data for Myocardial Perfusion Scans were not reported under nuclear medicine, whereas outside of these months this test was included under nuclear medicine. The decrease in patients seen in February 2015 and the increase seen in August 2015 were therefore due to the way the data were reported, rather than changes in actual numbers of patients. This resulted a difference of approximately 350-400 patients each month, and approximately 150 to 190 of these each month were waiting 8 weeks or longer for their scan.
Data for April 2017 for Cwm Taf University Health Board were estimated using data for March 2017.
From April 2018, additional diagnostic tests for Cardiology were included, resulting in an increase in the figures from this point.
Neurophysiology data for Aneurin Bevan local health board became available in June 2023, adding around 1,000 pathways that had not been reported previously. Neurophysiology diagnostic services were provided by Aneurin Bevan before June 2023, however those data were not available.
Between April and June 2023 the published figures for ‘Radiology – GP referral’ for Montgomery County Infirmary and Victoria Memorial are known to be lower than is actually the case.
- Rounding applied
figures are rounded to one decimal place
Published by
- Organisation
- Welsh Government
- Contact email
- stats.healthinfo@gov.wales