Glossary
Patient journey: A patients 18 Weeks RTT journey begins with the receipt of referral for treatment and ends with the start of treatment.
Patient journeys that could be fully measured: Those patient journeys where it has been possible for the NHS Board treating the patient to link all stages of the patient's journey from the initial referral to the start of treatment.
NHS Board of Treatment: The NHS Board in which treatment starts.
Number of patient journeys within 18 weeks: The number of patient journeys where the start of treatment was within 18 weeks (126 days or less) of the initial referral, minus any periods of patient unavailability.
Number of patient journeys over 18 weeks: The number of patient journeys where the start of treatment was over 18 weeks (126 days) from the initial referral, minus any periods of patient unavailability.
Patient unavailability: Unavailability, for patients without a date for treatment, is a period of time when the patient is unavailable for treatment. Unavailability can be for medical or social reasons.
Unique Care Pathway Number (UCPN): A unique number allocated to all new referrals, to enable identification of patient journeys and the linking of all the stages in the patient journey.
