Feedback from patients tells ​us how important it is that we give as accurate of waiting times as possible, for a given elective clinical appointment or procedure. Below we provide information for acute hospital elective services, not including mental health services. To do this, we do a calculation of the number of weeks that were waited by 90% of the patients that had been seen in the previous three months. The information provided here is refreshed monthly.

Three things to note:

First, that every patient is different, and there are a range of factors that can have some patients seen earlier or later than the estimated time; the information here is a general guide, and not meant as a prediction. The estimated times are likely to be more accurate for urgent patients as this is the majority of our activity at present.

Second, where there are only a small number of patients (fewer than 20) that have been seen for a particular combination of speciality, location and priority, the calculated estimates are not reliable so have not been included in the lists.

Third, in these exceptional times since the onset of Covid, the number of people waiting for care has hugely increased as we have had to reduce the number of people we can admit to hospital.

This is because of a decrease in the number of hospital bed spaces (for physical distancing), and reduced numbers of staff due to sickness, self-isolation and relocation to other services. The health and social care staff shortages are not just Grampian, Scotland or even just in the UK, so we are having to work with the available staffing to take care of our population as best we can. That does mean we have to prioritise the most clinically urgent.

NHS Grampian will always prioritise our care to those who need it most and we continue to work to reduce the lengths of wait, which are longer than we would like them to be.

Remember, if your condition changes significantly or you no longer need to be seen, it is important that you let your GP or other referrer know as soon as possible.

Please accept our heartfelt apologies and be assured we are working as hard as possible to see as many patients as we can.

The waiting time for outpatients is the time between being referred by your GP and being seen in the clinic: Outpatient Waiting Times (pdf)

The waiting time for an elective (planned) Endoscopy procedure is the time between referral (by your GP or a hospital consultant) and the date of the procedure. The procedures can be carried out at a facility anywhere in Grampian, and these waiting times reflect all hospitals combined: Endoscopy waiting times (pdf) 

Waiting times for an elective (planned) imaging appointment, such as for Ultrasound, X-Ray, MRI or CT scans, are between referral for the scan and the date of the scan itself: Radiology Waiting Times (pdf).

Elective inpatient procedures are generally those performed in a theatre and include day case procedures. The​ wait calculated here corresponds to the time between an operation being agreed (normally in an outpatient clinic) and the operation or procedure date: Inpatient Waiting Times (pdf)

Amendment to NHS Grampian Access Policy - December 2022

Please note if you have any queries, please contact the specialty you have been referred to or the team responsible for your care.   

Outpatient and Inpatient Appointment Letter - December 2022 (pdf)

Frequently Asked Questions - December 2022 (pdf)

NHS Grampian Access Policy - Key Principles of Effective Referral and Waiting List Management

This policy (pdf) has been developed to provide a common vision, direction and understanding of how NHS Grampian should ensure equitable, safe, clinically effective and efficient access to services for its patients. It sets out principles that will help ensure that systems are in place to optmise the use of facilities and available capacity in order to deliver high quality, safe patient care in a timely manner.