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NHS waiting lists: referral to treatment: Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatment within target time, September 2011 onwards

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Data valuesData descriptionDateLocal health board of residenceLocal health board providerSpecialtyGrouped weeks waiting
91.9Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)All Treatment FunctionsUp to 26 weeks
6.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)All Treatment Functions26 to 36 weeks
2.1Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)All Treatment FunctionsOver 36 weeks
100.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Allied Health Profession ServicesUp to 26 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Allied Health Profession Services26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Allied Health Profession ServicesOver 36 weeks
99.9Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)CardiologyUp to 26 weeks
0.1Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Cardiology26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)CardiologyOver 36 weeks
33.3Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Cardiothoracic SurgeryUp to 26 weeks
33.3Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Cardiothoracic Surgery26 to 36 weeks
33.3Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Cardiothoracic SurgeryOver 36 weeks
100.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Clinical NeurophysiologyUp to 26 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Clinical Neurophysiology26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Clinical NeurophysiologyOver 36 weeks
97.5Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)DermatologyUp to 26 weeks
2.5Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Dermatology26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)DermatologyOver 36 weeks
99.7Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Diagnostic ServicesUp to 26 weeks
0.3Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Diagnostic Services26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Diagnostic ServicesOver 36 weeks
92.5Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Ear, Nose and ThroatUp to 26 weeks
7.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Ear, Nose and Throat26 to 36 weeks
0.4Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Ear, Nose and ThroatOver 36 weeks
99.9Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)EndocrinologyUp to 26 weeks
0.1Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Endocrinology26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)EndocrinologyOver 36 weeks
93.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)GastroenterologyUp to 26 weeks
7.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Gastroenterology26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)GastroenterologyOver 36 weeks
99.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)General MedicineUp to 26 weeks
1.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)General Medicine26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)General MedicineOver 36 weeks
94.2Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)General SurgeryUp to 26 weeks
5.8Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)General Surgery26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)General SurgeryOver 36 weeks
100.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Geriatric MedicineUp to 26 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Geriatric Medicine26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Geriatric MedicineOver 36 weeks
91.7Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)GynaecologyUp to 26 weeks
8.1Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Gynaecology26 to 36 weeks
0.2Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)GynaecologyOver 36 weeks
100.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Haemotology (clinical)Up to 26 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Haemotology (clinical)26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Haemotology (clinical)Over 36 weeks
100.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)NephrologyUp to 26 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Nephrology26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)NephrologyOver 36 weeks
100.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)NeurologyUp to 26 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Neurology26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)NeurologyOver 36 weeks
66.7Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)NeurosurgeryUp to 26 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Neurosurgery26 to 36 weeks
33.3Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)NeurosurgeryOver 36 weeks
90.2Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)OphthalmologyUp to 26 weeks
9.8Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Ophthalmology26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)OphthalmologyOver 36 weeks
92.9Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Oral SurgeryUp to 26 weeks
7.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Oral Surgery26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Oral SurgeryOver 36 weeks
81.6Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)OrthodonticsUp to 26 weeks
18.4Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Orthodontics26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)OrthodonticsOver 36 weeks
100.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Paediatric SurgeryUp to 26 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Paediatric Surgery26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Paediatric SurgeryOver 36 weeks
99.3Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)PaediatricsUp to 26 weeks
0.7Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Paediatrics26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)PaediatricsOver 36 weeks
99.4Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Pain ManagementUp to 26 weeks
0.6Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Pain Management26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Pain ManagementOver 36 weeks
100.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Plastic SurgeryUp to 26 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Plastic Surgery26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Plastic SurgeryOver 36 weeks
99.1Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Respiratory MedicineUp to 26 weeks
0.9Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Respiratory Medicine26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Respiratory MedicineOver 36 weeks
100.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Restorative DentistryUp to 26 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Restorative Dentistry26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Restorative DentistryOver 36 weeks
99.8Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)RheumatologyUp to 26 weeks
0.2Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Rheumatology26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)RheumatologyOver 36 weeks
72.5Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Trauma and OrthopaedicUp to 26 weeks
13.9Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Trauma and Orthopaedic26 to 36 weeks
13.6Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Trauma and OrthopaedicOver 36 weeks
94.8Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)UrologyUp to 26 weeks
4.9Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)Urology26 to 36 weeks
0.3Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrAll Wales LHB (Provider)UrologyOver 36 weeks
91.9Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrBetsi Cadwaladr University LHBAll Treatment FunctionsUp to 26 weeks
6.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrBetsi Cadwaladr University LHBAll Treatment Functions26 to 36 weeks
2.1Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrBetsi Cadwaladr University LHBAll Treatment FunctionsOver 36 weeks
100.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrBetsi Cadwaladr University LHBAllied Health Profession ServicesUp to 26 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrBetsi Cadwaladr University LHBAllied Health Profession Services26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrBetsi Cadwaladr University LHBAllied Health Profession ServicesOver 36 weeks
100.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrBetsi Cadwaladr University LHBCardiologyUp to 26 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrBetsi Cadwaladr University LHBCardiology26 to 36 weeks
0.0Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrBetsi Cadwaladr University LHBCardiologyOver 36 weeks
97.5Percentage of patient pathways waiting to start treatmentSep-2011Betsi CadwaladrBetsi Cadwaladr University LHBDermatologyUp to 26 weeks
Showing 1 to 100 of 709,080 rows
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Next update expected:22 January 2026

Updates

18th December 2025

New month added and revisions applied to previous data where applicable

4th December 2025

New month added and revisions applied to previous data where applicable

23rd October 2025
Dataset first published.

Main information

Designation
Accredited official statistics
Data provider
Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW)
Data source
Referral to Treatment Times (RTT)

Overview

Summary of dataset and variables

Information on referral to treatment (RTT) waiting times, reported by Local Health Boards. RTT is the period of time from referral by a GP or other medical practitioner to hospital for treatment in the NHS in Wales. An RTT pathway covers the time waited from referral to hospital for treatment in the NHS in Wales and includes time spent waiting for any hospital appointments, tests, scans or other procedures that may be needed before being treated.

Data collection or calculation

The data presented draws on management information held by Local Health Boards relating to the management of patients who have been referred for hospital treatment. Guidance is provided to the NHS in Wales about how such patients should be managed and how to measure and report the relevant data. The data is reported monthly by Local Health Boards via the Digital Health and Care Wales Service (DHCW) switching service. The data collection has been in place since April 2007.

Please find this information in the related statistical release, as per the given weblink.

From 1st April 2019 health service provision for residents of Bridgend local authority moved from Abertawe Bro Morgannwg to Cwm Taf. The health board names have 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

Suspension of Betsi Cadwaladr health board data

Due to data quality concerns, referral to treatment (RTT) data for Betsi Cadwaladr University (BCU) health board have been temporarily suspended. These concerns include anomalies in reported waiting list sizes and inconsistencies with operational activity levels, which have raised questions about the reliability of the data submitted. This suspension will remain in place until an external investigation into the quality and governance of the data is completed.

In the interim, RTT statistics will be published excluding BCU data. Figures have been updated to September 2025 for the six health boards, but BCU and Wales data have not. Data up to August 2025 have been retained for BCU and Wales and will remain pending the outcome of the review.

The chief statistician has published a blog describing the current situation with BCU data and the actions being undertaken to address the issues.

Guidance on interpreting Wales and BCU data

Although we recognise some recent months may be affected by the BCU data quality issues, we have retained the BCU and Wales data to August 2025. Some revisions may be made to the historic BCU data following the review, however these are not expected to be substantial. Some caution should be exercised when using the recent BCU data, and by extension, the Wales totals. When using Wales-level data, note that recent monthly figures may be revised in future, so avoid drawing firm conclusions from short-term fluctuations. For small groups, such as patients waiting two years, figures may change more noticeably because of their size. Any revisions will have a greater impact on BCU than Wales overall, but long-term patterns for both should be broadly reliable.

A referral to treatment pathway (RTT) covers the time waiting from referral to hospital for treatment and includes time spent waiting for any hospital appointments, tests, scans or other procedures that may be needed before being treated.

A patient pathway opens, and a waiting time begins, at the point a hospital receives a referral. Referrals are most commonly submitted by GPs but may also come from other health care professionals. The main activity measure for referral to treatment time is a count of the number of patient pathways which are open at the end of each month. This can be thought of as ‘the waiting list’.

A patient pathway is closed if either the patient starts treatment, or if following consultation with a hospital specialist, no hospital treatment is necessary. This could include: patient admitted to hospital for an operation or treatment starting treatment that does not need a stay in hospital (for example, medication or physiotherapy) beginning the fitting of a medical device such as leg braces starting an agreed period of time to monitor the patient’s condition to assess the need for further treatment Patients with complex needs may have referrals for multiple types of treatments so may have many pathways opened and will appear in the dataset more than one time. This means that the same patient can have different pathways counted in the calculations for both targets.

In March 2016, we changed some of the terminology used in referral to treatment reporting. Previously, when publishing these statistics, we used the terminology ‘patients’. However, some users misinterpreted this as unique patients. It is possible that a person could be on a number of different lists waiting for different conditions – i.e. there would be one patient but more than one pathway. Due to the RTT dataset being an aggregate data collection we’re not able to measure the number of unique patients. Therefore, we are using the terminology ‘patient pathways’, to better reflect the fact that one person can be on multiple waiting lists. The methodology use to measure and calculate these statistics has not changed. This is also more consistent with the other nations of the UK in their reporting of RTT.

From April 2016, there has been a change in the treatment function codes submitted by the local health boards.

More detailed treatment functions have been introduced recently but have not been used consistently across all Local Health Boards; for example, patients receiving vascular surgery may have been recorded in either “General Surgery” or “Vascular Surgery” treatment functions. To reduce uncertainty and make counts more reliable, the new functions will be removed temporarily and treatment functions will be recorded under the more general headings; for example, all patients receiving vascular surgery will now be published under “General Surgery” until consistent recording of treatment functions is confirmed across all Local Health Boards. This has now been fully actioned back to April 2016 when the new codes were introduced and will remain under general headings until the more detailed treatment functions are used consistently across Wales.

Related reports

Published by

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

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