This dataset can be found in:

NHS waiting lists: estimate of unique patients, March 2022 onwards

Variable filters

You will be able to change the filter selections once you've chosen how to view the data.
Data description

This indicates what a data value represents

1 of 1 selected
No values match your search
Date
46 of 46 selected
No values match your search
Local health board
9 of 9 selected
No values match your search

Choose how to view the data

You'll be asked to choose 2 variables to show on a table
The data will be shown with columns for each of the variables in the dataset, with a data value for all combinations of variables

Next update expected:21 May 2026

Updates

23rd April 2026

New month added

19th March 2026

New month added

19th February 2026

New month added

22nd January 2026

New month added

14th January 2026

Total figures for Wales for September and October 2025, which were originally published on 13 January 2026, did not include data for the South east region. These were corrected on 14 January

13th January 2026

Revisions applied to previous data where applicable

18th December 2025

New month added

4th December 2025

New month added

23rd October 2025
26th September 2025
Dataset first published.

Main information

Designation
Management information
Data provider
NHS Trusts and Local Health Boards
Data source
No specific source from data provider
Time period covered
March 2022 to February 2026

Overview

Summary of dataset and variables

This table provides estimated numbers of individual patients on Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting lists in Wales by local health board.

Data collection or calculation

Estimates are based on management information provided by Welsh Local Health Boards. Management information are not assessed against the Code of Practice for statistics. Though the principles of the Code of Practice have been applied, these data are not subject to the level of quality assurance applied to accredited official statistics.

Statistical quality

Data from June to September 2025 have diverged slightly compared to expected trends. We will investigate this and revise these figures if necessary.

The methods used by the health boards to estimate numbers of individual patients on RTT waiting lists are different, reflecting the different underlying administrative systems in use. In some cases, health boards have confirmed that their methods enable all patients to be counted, and with no duplication, meaning the figures are expected to be very accurate. In other cases, it is known that some patients are not included in the count - for example because they are not recorded on the same systems as other patients - or that there is a possibility of some duplication. The most significant example of this is in Hywel Dda University health board, where it is not possible to include patients waiting for diagnostic services or therapies. These patients account for around 10% of the total RTT pathways provided by Hywel Dda. Other examples of over and under-coverage are expected to have a very small impact on the figures.

Betsi Cadwaladr University (BCU) local health board implemented an improved method for estimating unique patients which was applied to data from April 2023. This means figures for BCU before and after April 2023 are not directly comparable. The new method had the impact of reducing the estimates for BCU by around 4,000 compared with the previous method. This was around 3% of the BCU figure. The impact on Wales level figures was small, causing a reduction of less than 1% compared with the previous methodology.

Related reports

Published by

Organisation
Welsh Government
Contact email
stats.healthinfo@gov.wales