FairWait

How FairWait calculates the figures

FairWait is an independent website, not part of the NHS or any government. It doesn't create waiting times or prices: it republishes official statistics, unchanged, in a form that's easy to compare — and says exactly what each one measures.

The short version

• Every waiting time and hospital cost is an official statistic, named and dated next to the figure, with a link to the original publication.
• Data is checked every day and updated as soon as each source publishes (most publish monthly, some quarterly or yearly).
• Anything that isn't official is labelled — private prices in the UK and treatment-abroad prices are typical published ranges, marked Estimate or shown with their source.
• FairWait never asks for your NHS number, medical records or any personal health details. No sign-up is needed.

What each waiting time means

England

NHS England's Referral to Treatment (RTT) statistics: everyone currently waiting, at each hospital, for each specialty. FairWait shows the median wait so far (half have waited less) and the share waiting under 18 weeks (the NHS standard is 92%). The median is worked out the way NHS England does it, by interpolating within the published week bands. It is not the maximum wait, and not a guarantee for an individual patient.

Scotland

Public Health Scotland's Stage of Treatment statistics, by NHS board: the median and 90th percentile of days waited so far, for a first outpatient appointment and for treatment.

Wales

The Welsh Government's referral-to-treatment data, by health board: how many are waiting and how many have waited 26 weeks or more, over 36 weeks, a year and two years. Wales doesn't publish a median, so FairWait doesn't show one.

Northern Ireland

The Department of Health's quarterly waiting-time statistics, by trust, in week bands. FairWait interpolates a median from the bands and marks it as approximate; counts are exactly as published.

Australia

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (MyHospitals): the median days waited for elective surgery at each public hospital, from being added to the list to the operation.

USA

US hospitals don't publish waiting times for planned operations, so FairWait shows costs instead, plus the official median time spent in the emergency department.

What each cost means

• USA: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data, per hospital — the average amount billed (the hospital's list price, before discounts) and the average actually paid by Medicare and the patient. "Typical" is the median across hospitals.
• Australia: public patients are treated free under Medicare; for private costs FairWait links to the Australian Government's Medical Costs Finder.
• UK: NHS treatment is free. NHS hospitals don't publish self-pay prices, so private prices are typical ranges from published hospital price lists, marked Estimate — always ask for a written quote.
• Treatment abroad: typical published price ranges, with every source linked, converted at reference exchange rates.

Hospital lists for operations

NHS England publishes waits by specialty, not by individual operation. On operation pages FairWait shows the specialty's figures and, in England, lists only hospitals with patients waiting to be admitted for treatment in that specialty — so clinic-only services aren't shown as places that do the operation.

Updates and corrections

A check runs every morning; when a source publishes new figures, FairWait updates within a day. Each figure shows the period it covers. If something looks wrong, email privacy@fairwait.uk and it will be checked against the source and corrected.

All sources, with links: Data sources.