Hospital waiting times remain high
Date published:
New official statistics published today by NISRA statisticians in the Department of Health present waiting time figures for outpatient appointments, inpatient and day case admissions, and diagnostic services in Northern Ireland.
Key findings
At 30 September 2025:
Outpatient waiting times
- 542,451 patients were waiting for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment.
- 55.6% (301,753) of patients were waiting more than 52 weeks.
- ENT (60,433 patients) and Gynaecology (54,710 patients) had the largest waiting lists.
Inpatient waiting times
- 91,645 patients were waiting for inpatient or day case admission to hospitals.
- 41.6% of patients (38,166) were waiting more than 52 weeks for admission.
- Orthopaedics (23,256 patients) and Gastroenterology (12,337 patients) had the largest waiting lists.
Diagnostic waiting times
- 227,674 patients were waiting for a diagnostic test.
- 38.6% (87,897) of patients were waiting more than 26 weeks for a diagnostic test.
- Non-obstetric ultrasound (43,256 patients) and MRI (30,550 patients) had the largest waiting lists.
- 471,185 diagnostic tests were reported on at hospitals during the quarter ending September 2025. Of these, 27.4% (129,080) were urgent tests and the remaining 72.6% (342,105) were routine tests.
About the publications
These publications present information on waiting times for diagnostic services and turnaround times; waiting times for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment and a first clinical assessment and treatment services (ICATS) appointment; and waiting times for admission for inpatient or day case treatment.
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.
Further information
Read the full reports:
Northern Ireland Diagnostic Waiting Time Statistics
Northern Ireland Outpatient Waiting Time Statistics
Northern Ireland Inpatient and Day Case Waiting Time Statistics
View data tables and background information:
Northern Ireland waiting time statistics: diagnostic waiting times September 2025
Northern Ireland waiting time statistics: outpatient waiting times September 2025
Northern Ireland waiting time statistics: inpatient and day case waiting times September 2025