Links to external web sites of interest are provided below. ISD is not responsible for these external web sites with regard to their content, accuracy or accessibility.

NHSScotland Waiting Times Database	Online  database of NHSScotland waiting times to enable GPs to refer patients to the hospital providing the most appropriate treatment in the shortest time.  Information in the database is subject to change at short notice.
Drug Misuse Information Scotland	The National Drug Treatment Waiting Times Database collects information on the number of clients seen and the length of time they waited to be seen for various interventions.
Department of Health	Analogous* web pages containing information about waiting times and waiting lists in England.
National Assembly for Wales	Analogous* web pages containing information about waiting times and waiting lists in Wales.
Northern Ireland Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety	Analogous* web pages containing information about waiting times and waiting lists in Northern Ireland.
NHS UK	Waiting times database for patients in England.

* Inter-UK country comparisons of waiting times and waiting list information

There are differences in the way that patients are counted on waiting lists in the four UK countries and differences in how their waiting times are measured.

A UK group was set up to examine issues of comparability and their report was published by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) in Northern Ireland and is available via their website: www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/index/stats_research/stats-pubs.htm .

The report recommended that the four nations should consider 'publishing harmonised data for completed waits (it is understood) that data already exists in most countries from the Hospital Episode Statistics and other sources which could be published in an agreed common format'.

Harmonised completed waits data for 11 procedures was included in the Office for National Statistics publication UK Health Statistics.

It should be noted that the waiting times published in this report may not match those published elsewhere by any of the UK countries and are not compatible with the monitoring of waiting times targets. The data included for Scotland covers the period prior to the introduction of New Ways.