Examination Wait Time

Identifying Attributes

Care Settings
Hospital Care
Country
England
Publishing Organisation
National Health Service (NHS) England: Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set
Type of Quality Indicator
Outcome
IOM Quality Dimension
Timeliness
Domain
Wait Times and System Planning / Access

Defining Attributes

Definition

Sometimes, people will first talk to a nurse or doctor and be examined later. From the time you arrived, how long did you wait before being examined by a doctor or nurse? Answer options: I did to have to wait, 1-30 minutes, 31-60 minutes, more than 1 hour but no more than 2 hours, more than 2 hours but no more than 4 hours, more than 4 hours, cant remember, I did not see a doctor or nurse.

Numerator

A subset of the denominator that represents patients aged 16 and older who responded to questions regarding examination wait time.

Denominator

Patients aged 16 and older who responded to questions regarding examination wait time.

Exclusions

Anyone who was a current inpatient, anyone who attended a walk-in centre, any patients who were admitted to hospital through medical or surgical admissions units and therefore did not visit the emergency department, anyone who had a planned attendance at an outpatient clinic run within the emergency department (such as a fracture clinic), patients attending primarily to obtain contraception (for example, the morning after pill), patients who suffered a miscarriage or another form of abortive pregnancy outcome while at the hospital, and patients with a concealed pregnancy.

Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments
Stratifications

Yes

Collection and Reporting Attributes

Type of Data Collection
Surveys
Data Collection Methods
Frequency of Data Collection
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
Reporting Methods
Reporting Frequency
Annually
Reporting Frequency in Days
365
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No

Source and Reference Attributes

Link to Measurement Tools
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
31 March 2026