Publication of the Quarterly Northern Ireland Outpatient, Inpatient and Day Case, and Diagnostic Waiting Times Statistics - Position on 30 June 2025

Date published: 4 September 2025

The waiting times statistical bulletins provide detailed information on the number of people waiting for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment, inpatient/day case treatment, or a diagnostic test at hospitals in Northern Ireland.

*On 9 November 2023 the South Eastern Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust launched 'encompass' - a new electronic patient record system. The system also went live in Belfast HSC Trust on 6 June 2024, in Northern HSC Trust on 7 November 2024, and in Southern and Western HSC Trusts on 8 May 2025. Given the relatively recent transition of Southern and Western Trusts to completely digitised health records, no validated data for these Trusts were available at the time of publication.

Figures sourced from encompass are considered to be 'official statistics in development', which are a subset of Official Statistics in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics. While caution must be exercised when using these figures and they are not directly comparable with legacy (pre-encompass) data, they are a meaningful representation of what they measure and are of sufficient quality for publication and use.*

Waiting Times for a First Outpatient Appointment

• The figures provided for Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts are from encompass and are considered to be 'official statistics in development'. Therefore, caution must be exercised when using these figures. Validated data for Southern and Western Trusts were not available at the time of publication.
• The draft target for outpatient waiting times states that 50% of patients should wait no longer than nine weeks for a first outpatient appointment, with no patient waiting longer than 52 weeks.
• At 30 June 2025, no HSC Trust for which data are available (Belfast, Northern and South Eastern Trusts), met either element of the outpatient waiting times target.
• 358,585 patients were waiting for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment at hospitals in the Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts on 30 June 2025, 0.6% (1,993) more than on 31 March 2025 (356,592).
• The median waiting time was 61.7 weeks and the 95th percentile waiting time was 306.4 weeks.
• 85.3% (305,699) of patients were waiting more than nine weeks for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment on 30 June 2025.
• 45.1% (196,787) of patients were waiting more than 52 weeks for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment on 30 June 2025.

Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts

Waiting Times for Inpatient and Day Case Admission

• The figures provided for Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts are from encompass and are considered to be 'official statistics in development'. Therefore, caution must be exercised when using these figures. Validated data for Southern and Western Trusts were not available at the time of publication.
• The draft target for inpatient and day case waiting times states that 55% of patients should wait no longer than 13 weeks for inpatient/ day case treatment; with no patient waiting longer than 52 weeks.
• At 30 June 2025,  no HSC Trust for which data are available (Belfast, Northern and South Eastern Trusts), met either component of the inpatient and day case waiting times target.
• 65,703 patients were waiting for inpatient or day case admission to hospitals in the Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts on 30 June 2025, 7.7% (5,472) fewer than on 31 March 2025 (71,175).
• The median waiting time was 37.4 weeks and the 95th percentile was 327.7 weeks.
• 69.8% (45,863 of 65,703) of patients were waiting more than 13 weeks for admission, compared with 67.4% (47,977 of 71,175) on 31 March 2025.
• 43.0% (28,228 of 65,703) of patients were waiting more than 52 weeks for admission, compared with 42.9% (30,505 of 71,175) on 31 March 2025.

Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts

Waiting Times for a Diagnostic Service

• The figures provided for Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts are from encompass and are considered to be 'official statistics in development'. Therefore, caution must be exercised when using these figures. Validated data for Southern and Western Trusts were not available at the time of publication.
• The draft target for diagnostic waiting times states that 75% of patients should wait no longer than nine weeks for a diagnostic test, with no patient waiting longer than 26 weeks.
• At 30 June 2025, no HSC Trust for which data are available (Belfast, Northern and South Eastern Trusts), met either component of the diagnostic waiting times target.
• 164,798 patients were waiting for a diagnostic test in the Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts at 30 June 2025, 4.3% (6,792) more than on 31 March 2025 (158,006).
• 62.3% (102,740) of patients were waiting more than 9 weeks for a diagnostic test, compared with 62.4% (98,533) on 31 March 2025.
• 38.7% (63,724) of patients were waiting more than 26 weeks for a diagnostic test compared with 40.3% (63,640) on 31 March 2025.

Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts

Diagnostic Reporting Turnaround Times

• The figures provided for Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts are from encompass and are considered to be 'official statistics in development'. Therefore, caution must be exercised when using these figures. Validated data for Southern and Western Trusts were not available at the time of publication.
• The draft target for diagnostic reporting times states that all urgent diagnostic tests should be reported on within two days of the test being undertaken.
• During the quarter ending June 2025, no HSC Trust for which data are available (Belfast, Northern and South Eastern Trusts), achieved the diagnostic reporting times target.
• 306,878 diagnostic tests were reported on at hospitals in the Belfast, Northern and South Eastern HSC Trusts during the quarter ending June 2025. Of these, 28.2% (86,604) were urgent tests and the remaining 71.8% (220,274) were routine tests.
• Of the 86,604 urgent diagnostic tests, 69.6% (60,264) were reported on within 2 days.