Referral to treatment (RTT) waiting list statistics: September 2025
Data showing information on the number of patients treated within 26 weeks of the date a referral letter was received in the hospital for September 2025.
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Introduction
Due to data quality concerns, referral to treatment (RTT) data for Betsi Cadwaladr University (BCU) health board have been temporarily suspended. These concerns include anomalies in reported waiting list sizes and inconsistencies with operational activity levels, which have raised questions about the reliability of the data submitted. This suspension will remain in place until an external investigation into the quality and governance of the data is completed.
In the interim, RTT statistics will be published excluding BCU data. This report summarises the latest RTT data for the six other health boards in Wales. Totals for Wales are not provided.
The chief statistician has published a blog describing the current situation with BCU data and the actions being undertaken to address the issues.
The data summarised here are published in full on StatsWales. Figures have been updated to September 2025 for the six health boards, but BCU and Wales data have not. Data up to August 2025 have been retained for BCU and Wales and will remain pending the outcome of a review.
Guidance on interpreting Wales and BCU data
Although we recognise some recent months may be affected by the BCU data quality issues, we have retained the BCU and Wales data in the online StatsWales datasets up to August. The evidence does not suggest there are significant issues with the data up to this point. Some revisions may be made to the historic BCU data following the review, however these are not expected to be substantial. Some caution should be exercised when using the recent BCU data, and by extension, the Wales totals. When using Wales-level data, note that recent monthly figures may be revised in future, so avoid drawing firm conclusions from short-term fluctuations. For small groups, such as patients waiting two years, figures may change more noticeably because of their size. Any revisions will have a greater impact on BCU than Wales overall, but long-term patterns for both should be broadly reliable.
Main points
- In September, all six of the health boards covered in this report saw an increase in the proportion of patient pathways waiting less than 26 weeks.
- Five of the health boards saw a decrease in the number of patient pathways waiting more than one year for treatment, while Powys saw an increase.
- Powys and Swansea Bay had no pathways waiting longer than two years for treatment in August and September, and the other four health boards saw decreases in the number waiting more than two years.
- Two of the health boards had no pathways waiting longer than one year for a first outpatient appointment in August and September, and the other four saw decreases in the number waiting more than one year for a first outpatient appointment.
- The number of patient pathways is not equal to the number of unique patients waiting, because some patients have multiple open pathways. Management information suggests five of the health boards saw a reduction in the number of unique patients waiting in September, but Powys saw a small increase.
Proportion of pathways waiting less than 26 weeks
Figure 1: percentage of RTT pathways waiting less than 26 weeks, August and September 2025
Description of figure 1: a bar chart showing increases in the proportion of pathways waiting less than 26 weeks in September for all six health boards covered in this report.
Source: Referral to treatment times, DHCW
Data for pathways waiting longer than 36 weeks are available on StatsWales.
Patient pathways waiting longer than one year for treatment
Figure 2: RTT patient pathways waiting more than one year, August and September 2025
Description of figure 2: a bar chart showing five of the six health boards saw decreases in the number of pathways waiting longer than one year for treatment in September, while there was a very small increase in Powys.
Source: Referral to treatment times, DHCW
Patient pathways waiting longer than two years for treatment
Figure 3: RTT patient pathways waiting more than two years, August and September 2025
Description of figure 3: a bar chart showing there were no pathways waiting longer than two years for treatment in Swansea Bay and Powys health boards in August and September. The other four health boards all saw decreases in the number waiting longer than two years in September.
Source: Referral to treatment times, DHCW
Patient pathways waiting longer than one year for a first outpatient appointment
Figure 4: RTT patient pathways waiting more than one year for a first outpatient appointment, August and September 2025
Description of figure 4: a bar chart showing there were no pathways waiting longer than one year for a first outpatient appointment in Swansea Bay and Powys health boards in August and September. The other four health boards all saw decreases in the number waiting longer than one year for a first outpatient appointment in September.
Source: Referral to treatment times, DHCW
Unique patients waiting
Figure 5: unique RTT patients waiting, August and September 2025
Description of figure 5: a bar chart showing five of the six health boards saw decreases in the number of unique patients waiting in September, while there was a small increase in Powys.
Source: Wales local health boards
NHS waiting lists: estimate of unique patients, March 2022 onwards, on StatsWales
Quality and methodology information
All quality and methodology information in relation to this statistical release can be found in the NHS activity and performance summary: quality report.
Official statistics status
All official statistics should show the standards of the Code of Practice for Statistic (UK Statistics Authority).
These are accredited official statistics. They were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) in July 2012. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics.
It is Welsh Government’s responsibility to maintain compliance with the standards expected of accreditation. If we become concerned about whether these statistics are still meeting the appropriate standards, we will discuss any concerns with OSR promptly. Accreditation can be cancelled or suspended at any point when the highest standards are not maintained, and reinstated when standards are restored.
Accredited official statistics (OSR) are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.
Statement of compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics
Our statistical practice is regulated by the OSR. OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.
All of our statistics are produced and published in accordance with a number of statements and protocols to enhance trustworthiness, quality and value. These are set out in the Welsh Government’s Statement of Compliance.
These accredited official statistics demonstrate the standards expected around trustworthiness, quality and public value in the following ways.
Trustworthiness
These statistics are compiled from administrative data systems in use across the NHS in Wales. Data are collected by the Welsh Local Health Boards and provided to Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW) to enable them to be collated at a national level.
The data collections are overseen by the Welsh Information Standards Board (WISB), which is the custodian of the Information Standards Assurance Process. WISB mandates data collections through the NHS and Local Heath Boards, appraises information standards and provides assurance on matters related to confidentiality and consent.
The published figures are compiled by professional analysts using the latest available data and applying methods using their professional judgement and analytical skillset.
These statistics are pre-announced on the Statistics and Research area of the Welsh Government website. Access to the data during processing is restricted to those involved in the production of the statistics, quality assurance and for operational purposes. Pre-release access is restricted to eligible recipients in line with the Code of Practice (UK Statistics Authority).
Quality
Statistics published by Welsh Government adhere to the Statistical Quality Management Strategy which supplements the Quality pillar of the Code of Practice for Statistics and the European Statistical System principles of quality for statistical outputs.
Data standards and definitions are established by the WISB. Guidance is issued to the data providing organisations and training provided to staff responsible for collecting the data at source. DHCW collates and validates health board level data and queries anomalous and missing data directly with the health boards. Before validated datasets are provided by DHCW to Welsh Government, all data are signed off by health boards. DHCW provides validated datasets to Welsh Government, where analysts process the data to produce the aggregate statistics in the format required for publication. Welsh Government undertakes final validation checks which can be queried with DHCW and the health boards before publication. The statistical release is signed off by senior statisticians before publication.
Value
The purposes of this statistical release and the accompanying data published on StatsWales are: to provide evidence for policy development; to inform the media and wider public about activity and performance in the Welsh NHS; to enable service providers such as Local Health Boards to monitor their own performance.
Reliable statistics on the volume of activity undertaken in the NHS and the size of waiting lists are vital to inform users about the state of NHS services and the performance of the Welsh government and the Local Health Boards. These services have a significant impact on citizens’ lives and these topics feature prominently in media coverage and political discourse.
The information published here also supports the Welsh Government’s long term plan for health and social care: A Healthier Wales.
The timeliness of the data provides the most recent update using reliable data.
You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.
Well-being of Future Generations Act (WFG)
The Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015 is about improving the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of Wales. The Act puts in place seven wellbeing goals for Wales. These are for a more equal, prosperous, resilient, healthier and globally responsible Wales, with cohesive communities and a vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language. Under section (10)(1) of the Act, the Welsh Ministers must (a) publish indicators (“national indicators”) that must be applied for the purpose of measuring progress towards the achievement of the wellbeing goals, and (b) lay a copy of the national indicators before Senedd Cymru. Under section 10(8) of the Well-being of Future Generations Act, where the Welsh Ministers revise the national indicators, they must as soon as reasonably practicable (a) publish the indicators as revised and (b) lay a copy of them before the Senedd. These national indicators were laid before the Senedd in 2021. The indicators laid on 14 December 2021 replace the set laid on 16 March 2016.
Information on the indicators, along with narratives for each of the well-being goals and associated technical information is available in the Wellbeing of Wales report.
Further information on the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.
The statistics included in this release could also provide supporting narrative to the national indicators and be used by public services boards in relation to their local well-being assessments and local well-being plans.
We want your feedback
We welcome any feedback on any aspect of these statistics which can be provided by email to stats.healthinfo@gov.wales.
