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Belfast HSC Trust – Treatments

Belfast HSC Trust Average Treatment Waiting Times

Published Encompass data is subject to ongoing validation by each Trust. 

A treatment is where you have been assessed by a clinician and then placed on a waiting list for an In Patient and/or Day Case Procedure. This does not include waiting time information for Endoscopy as this is reported separately.

What does this mean?

  • Treatment average waiting times include all those patients who are waiting for their first inpatient and/or day case treatment appointment.
  • Some patients will wait less time than the average and some patients will wait longer than the average waiting time indicated.
  • Average waiting time is the average (mean) of all patients waiting within the specialty at each hospital Trust and can be impacted by waiting times for subspecialty treatments. Patients waiting within subspecialties may experience a shorter waiting time or a significantly longer waiting time depending on the demand for a particular subspecialty treatment type.
  • The data presented in the website reflects the average waiting time for those patients who are actively waiting for their appointment, procedure or endoscopy.
  • Patients are being managed based on clinical urgency and therefore waiting times can vary depending on each patient’s clinical condition.
  • Some services may be provided by a multi-disciplinary team e.g. doctor, consultant, specialist nurse or an allied health professional.
  • Some services may be managed by one trust, but will provide care for patients across Northern Ireland as a regional service or at a regional centre. This will be denoted by a double asterisks e.g. ENT**
  • The waiting time information provided is updated by the first Thursday of each month.

The different waiting times refer to the level of priority of the treatment type:

  • Red Flag: These appointments are allocated to patients with suspected Cancer diagnosis and are the highest priority.
  • Urgent: These appointments are allocated to patients with urgent care needs other than Cancer.
  • Routine: These appointments are allocated to patients who require a non-urgent appointment.

Specialty A-Z

Please select the specialty you have been referred to or are under the care of from the list below.

If you are not sure which specialty you have been referred to, please check any letters or text messages that you have received from your hospital as this information should be included in these.

To note:

  • If the average waiting time for a specialty and/or a priority is less than 1 week, this will be denoted as < 1 in the average weeks waiting.
  • Where there is no current average waiting time for a priority, the priority for that specialty will not be reported.
  • BREAST
    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Red Flag 40
    Urgent 177
    Routine 239

     

  • CARDIAC SURGERY
    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Urgent 12
    Routine 10

     

  • CARDIOLOGY
    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Urgent 9
    Routine 23

     

  • CATARACTS**
    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Urgent 32
    Routine 39

     

  • DENTAL

    DENTISTRY INCLUDING ORAL SURGERY

    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Urgent 12
    Routine 9

    PAEDIATRIC DENTISTRY

    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Urgent 50
    Routine 88
  • DERMATOLOGY
    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Red Flag 23
    Urgent 7

     

  • ENT (EAR, NOSE AND THROAT)
    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Red Flag 6
    Urgent 102
    Routine 242

     

  • GENERAL SURGERY
    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Red Flag 23
    Urgent 127
    Routine 207

     

  • GYNAECOLOGY
    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Red Flag 1
    Urgent 42
    Routine 110

     

  • NEPHROLOGY
    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Urgent 33
    Routine 7

     

  • NEUROSURGERY
    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Urgent 33
    Routine 140

     

  • OPHTHALMOLOGY
    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Urgent 31
    Routine 62

     

  • ORTHOPAEDICS
    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Urgent 104
    Routine 98

     

  • PAEDIATRICS

    PAEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY

    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Routine 23

    PAEDIATRIC DENTISTRY

    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Urgent 50
    Routine 88

    PAEDIATRIC ENT

    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Urgent 54
    Routine 70

    PAEDIATRIC HAEMATOLOGY

    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Routine 8

    PAEDIATRIC MEDICAL ONCOLOGY

    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Routine 31

    PAEDIATRIC ORTHOPAEDICS

    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Urgent 26
    Routine 40

    PAEDIATRIC PLASTIC SURGERY

    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Urgent 38
    Routine 83

    PAEDIATRIC RHEUMATOLOGY

    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Routine 79

    PAEDIATRIC SURGERY

    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Urgent 34
    Routine 54

    PAEDIATRIC UROLOGY

    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Urgent 96
    Routine 87
  • RESPIRATORY (THORACIC MEDICINE)
    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Red Flag 30
    Urgent 27
    Routine 35

     

  • THORACIC SURGERY
    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Red Flag 4
    Urgent 84
    Routine 150

     

  • UROLOGY
    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Red Flag 4
    Urgent 48
    Routine 67

     

  • VASCULAR
    Priority Average Wait (Weeks)
    Urgent 31
    Routine 100