Skip to content
English
Contact Us
Webinars
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Outpatients Waiting List > Dynamics

Track weekly additions and removals from the outpatient waiting list to understand changes in demand and overall list movement.

Location in SystemView: SystemView > Explore > Outpatients > Waiting List > Dynamics

In this article:

What it is

The Waiting List Dynamics component tracks weekly outpatient referrals added to and removed from the waiting list.
It helps you monitor the balance between demand and activity - showing when referrals are increasing, stabilising, or being reduced.


Why it matters

Understand how your outpatient waiting list is changing over time.
  • Identify demand and throughput trends: See if new referrals consistently outnumber removals.
  • Monitor service activity: Understand whether removals (appointments or discharges) are keeping pace with incoming demand.
  • Demonstrate impact: Use the charts to show results of targeted clean-up activities or audits that led to reductions in waiting list size.
  • Support planning: Identify when referrals are growing faster than clinic capacity and inform service redesign or booking prioritisation.

How to use it

Filter to focus your view

Use the filters to focus on your area of interest:

  • Clinic Type: Specialist and Other
    • Specialist = clinics that are reportable to your Department of Health (e.g., consultant- or registrar-led clinics)
    • Other = non-reportable clinics (e.g., allied health or nurse-led)
  • Specialty: focus on referrals for a particular outpatient specialty.
  • Request List: view referrals from specific clinic or subspecialty lists.
  • Category: view by urgency triage category.
  • Referral Source Type: filter to view referrals received from internal or external sources only.

Explore weekly waiting list activity

Chart name What it shows
Waiting List Additions by Week Displays the number of new referrals added to the outpatient waiting list each week. Hover to view totals or click a week to open the list of patients added during that week.
Waiting List Removals by Week Displays the number of referrals removed from the waiting list each week (e.g., patients seen, discharged, or cancelled). Click a week to open the list of patients removed that week.
Waiting List Additions and Removals Combines both weekly additions and removals to easily compare inflow versus outflow trends.
Outpatient Waiting List Dynamics Shows the net difference between weekly additions and removals. Green bars indicate more removals (a reduction in the list), red bars indicate more additions (growth), and the blue 13-week rolling average line displays the overall direction of change.
Outpatient Waiting List and Long Waits Displays the 12-month trend of total referrals compared with those currently considered long wait. This helps track the proportion of overdue patients as the list grows or decreases.
Waiting List by Referral Source Breaks down weekly additions by referral source (internal vs. external). Clicking on a data point shows the list of patients referred from that source in the selected week.

Explore patient-level insights

Clicking on a data point in the Waiting List Additions by Week or Waiting List Removals by Week chart opens a patient list for that selected week.

This allows you to see which patients were added or removed and export the list to Excel for further analysis — see How to export in SystemView for step-by-step instructions.

How it works

The Dynamics component aggregates weekly totals of unique referral records added to or removed from the outpatient waiting list.

Calculation logic

  • Additions = referrals first added to the waiting list that week.
  • Removals = referrals taken off the list (patient seen, cancelled, or discharged).

How it helps you

  • Visualise referral movement: Understand weekly inflow and outflow to the outpatient waiting list.
  • Balance capacity and demand: Quickly identify if referrals are being added faster than they’re being actioned.
  • Demonstrate audit outcomes: Highlight the impact of data validation or waiting list reduction projects.
  • Plan future activity: Use rolling averages and long-wait trends to inform clinic scheduling or additional capacity planning.
  • Communicate performance: Share waiting list movements clearly with clinical and operational teams.

Best practices

How often should I use it

What to do How often Who should do it Why it helps
Review weekly additions and removals Weekly Booking Officers, Outpatient NUMs Detect early signs of waiting list growth or imbalance, ensuring timely triage and booking prioritisation.
Compare internal vs external referral patterns Monthly Service Managers, Directors of Operations Identify referral sources driving demand and assess the impact on service delivery and resource allocation.
Review long-wait trend alongside additions Monthly Clinical Directors, Specialty Leads Monitor backlog progress and evaluate clinical prioritisation and demand management effectiveness.
Export data for further analysis As needed Performance Improvement, Data Analysts Support detailed trend analysis, audits, and business case development for additional capacity.

Pair with these components

  • Waiting List > Risks & Projections: Identify patients likely to breach clinically recommended timeframes.
  • Waiting List > Trends: Review 12-month referral growth patterns to complement the week-by-week analysis in Dynamics.
  • Waiting List > Overview: View specialty-level long wait and booked-to-breach trends for a broader risk summary.

Tips for success

  • Hover over any point in the chart for totals; click it to view patient-level details.
  • Use Category filters to separate urgent from non-urgent activity.
  • Export data to Excel for more granular analysis across specialties or doctors.
  • Review Dynamics after audits or major data updates to confirm changes are reflected accurately.

❓FAQs / Troubleshooting

Q. What does Additions mean?
A. Additions represent unique referrals first added to the waiting list that week.

Q. What does Removals mean?
A. Removals represent referrals taken off the waiting list that week — either because the patient was seen in clinic, cancelled, no longer requires care, or has been discharged from the service.

Q. Why don’t Category totals always match “All”?
A. The “All” view represents total new additions that week. Category 1, 2, or 3 views can include patients whose category changed during the week, so totals may differ.

Q. What does the Waiting List Dynamics chart show?
A. It shows the overall balance between additions and removals.

  • Red bars: List growth (more added than removed)
  • Green bars: List reduction (more removed than added)
  • Rolling average line: Indicates long-term direction of change