Total Time in Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department
Identifying Attributes
Care Settings
Hospital Care
Country
England
Publishing Organisation
National Health Service (NHS) England: Provisional Accident and Emergency Quality Indicators for England
Type of Quality Indicator
Process
IOM Quality Dimension
Timeliness
Setting-Specific Domain
Emergency Care
Defining Attributes
Definition
Median and 95th percentile of total minutes in A&E.
Numerator
Median and 95th percentile difference (minutes) between "arrival time" and "departure time".
Denominator
Total number of attendances in the Emergency Care Data Set (including admitted and non-admitted patients).
Exclusions
Excludes attendances over 72 hours.
Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments
None
Stratifications
By patient type (all, admitted, non-admitted), provider, median time and 95th percentile time.
Collection and Reporting Attributes
Type of Data Collection
Standardised clinical data
Data Collection Methods
Emergency Care Data Set (ECDS)
Frequency of Data Collection
Monthly
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
30
Reporting Methods
Monthly publication available online: digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/provisional-accident-and-emergency-quality-indicators-for-england
Reporting Frequency
Monthly
Reporting Frequency in Days
30
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No
Source and Reference Attributes
Technical Specifications
Link to Measurement Tools
Domain
Wait Time
Quality Indicator Confirmed to be Part of a Program Used to Monitor Quality and Safety of Care Among Older People at a Population-Level between 2012-2022
Yes
Assessed by the Australian Consortium for Aged Care Collaborators as Generally Containing Good Properties (Importance and Scientific Acceptability)
No
Australian Consortium for Aged Care Endorsed
No
Can the Quality Indicator be Readily Implemented at a Population Level in Australia Given its Current Data Landscape?
Implementation of this quality indicator was not assessed.
Identified by PHARMA-Care Project
No
Upload Date
23 July 2025
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Date Modified 10 June 2026