Waiting times by intended procedure

Waiting time statistics for intended surgical procedures can indicate performance in particular areas of elective (planned) surgery. While information is collected about waiting times associated with a large number of intended procedures, some data presented here is limited to selected procedures only (a listing of 15 procedures, previously known as indicator procedures, and a listing of 25 most common procedures).  

Explore the data

Explore elective surgery waiting times data for 2024–25 and other recent years in the data visualisation below.

In 2024–25, for the 15 selected intended (indicator) procedures:

• Coronary artery bypass graft had the shortest median (50th percentile) and 90th percentile waiting times (19 and 90 days, respectively); <0.5% of patients waited more than 365 days to receive this type of surgery
• Septoplasty had the highest median waiting times (320 days), highest 90^th percentile waiting times (563 days), and highest percentage of patients waiting more than 365 days (31%).

In 2024–25, for the top 25 intended procedures:

• Curettage and evacuation of uterus had the shortest median waiting times (4 days) and Breast lump-excision and/or biopsy had the shortest 90th percentile waiting times (49 days). The proportion of patients waiting more than 365 days to receive both of these procedures was <0.5%
• Septoplasty had the highest median waiting times (320 days) and 90^th percentile waiting time (563 days).

Changes over time

Between 2020–21 and 2024–25, for the 15 selected intended (indicator) procedures:

• Coronary artery bypass graft consistently had the lowest waiting times across all the waiting time measures
• Septoplasty consistently had the highest median waiting times and highest 90th percentile waiting times. This procedure also had the highest increase in 90th percentile waiting times (63 days)
• Varicose veins treatment had the largest decrease in median waiting time with a 90-day decrease from 223 days in 2020–21 to 133 days in 2024–25. It also had the largest decrease in percentage of patients waiting more than 365 days – from 20% in 2020–21 to 10% in 2024–25
• Haemorrhoidectomy had the largest decrease in 90th percentile waiting times with a 65-day decrease from 330 days in 2020–21 to 265 days in 2024–25
• the percentage of patients waiting more than 365 days for surgery decreased for all indicator procedures. This ranged from a decrease of 0.1% for Coronary artery bypass graft to 10% for Varicose veins treatment, with a total decrease of 1.6% for all procedures in this period.