Location in SystemView: SystemView > Explore > Surgery > Waiting List > Operating Times
In this article:
- What it is
- Why it matters
- How to use it
- How it works
- How it helps you
- Best practices
- FAQs / Troubleshooting
What it is
The Operating Times component analyses historical elective surgery activity to estimate how long procedures typically take.
It displays average operating times by specialty, doctor, and procedure code over the past two years, giving you visibility into how long operations usually take in your facility, and helping you plan and schedule theatre lists more effectively.
Why it matters
Turn historical surgery data into insights for smarter planning.
This component helps surgical teams and theatre planners:
- Understand procedure duration: See how long operations typically take based on the last two years of theatre data.
- Compare variation: Identify differences in operating times between doctors or specialties.
- Support accurate scheduling: Use evidence-based averages to inform future theatre list planning and bookings.
- Optimise resource use: Align theatre time allocation with realistic procedure durations.
How to use it
Filter to focus your view
Use the filters at the top of the component to refine your analysis.
- Procedure Type: Surgical, Non-Surgical, Endoscopy.
- Surgical = procedures reportable to the Department of Health.
- Non-Surgical = procedures not reportable to the Department of Health.
- Endoscopy = reported separately but available for monitoring.
- Specialty: focus on a particular surgical specialty.
- Procedure Code: Search, single-select, or multi-select procedure codes.
- Doctor: Narrow down to a specific consultant or proceduralist.
💡Tip: Select ✕ Clear to reset filters and return to the full view.
Explore operating time summaries
| Tile name | What it shows |
| Operating Times Summary by Specialty | Displays the number of doctors and total procedures performed for each specialty over the past two years. |
| Operating Times Summary by Doctor | Shows estimated operating minutes per procedure code for each doctor in the selected specialty. Includes the number of historical operations used to calculate each average. *Selecting a doctor in this table will generate the following table. |
| Operating Times Details | Lists individual procedures performed by the selected doctor, including operation date and patient details, to show how averages were derived. *Displays on selection of a doctor or a procedure code |
💡 Tip: This data is useful for deeper analysis. You can export results to Excel and compare variation in operating times between doctors performing the same procedures. See How do I export? for step-by-step instructions.
How it works
Operating Times uses the last two years of procedure data to calculate average operating minutes for each procedure code and doctor.
These averages update daily and support more accurate planning and analysis across the Surgery domain.
Calculation logic
- Estimated Theatre Minutes = Average operation duration for each procedure code by doctor (based on the past two years of completed operations).
- Specialty Summary aggregates all operations for each specialty to show total doctors and procedures contributing to the averages.
How it helps you
- Analyse past performance: Review how long procedures have historically taken by doctor and procedure code.
- Improve scheduling confidence: Use reliable historical averages to plan future lists and bookings with realistic timing expectations.
- Identify variation: Spot where operating times differ significantly across doctors or procedures.
- Inform planning discussions: Provide data-driven insights to support theatre utilisation and efficiency reviews.
- Enhance transparency: Give surgical and booking teams a shared view of real-world operating durations.
Best practices
How often should I use it
| What to do | How often | Who should do it | Why it helps |
| Review specialty and doctor-level operating times | Monthly | Theatre NUMs, Scheduling & Booking Officers | Keeps theatre allocations aligned to recent activity trends |
| Compare variation across surgeons | Quarterly | Clinical Leads / Surgical Coordinators | Highlights technique or case-mix differences |
| Discuss historical averages during theatre planning | Monthly |
Elective Surgery Coordinators | Improves accuracy of future scheduling and list planning |
Pair with these tools
- Waiting List > Trends: Understand overall demand before aligning scheduling decisions.
- Waiting List > Risks & Projections: Use operating time data to model when waiting time targets may breach.
- Theatre Effectiveness > Utilisation: Compare historical procedure durations with current theatre utilisation metrics.
- Elective Schedule Monitor: Use when making bookings or planning theatre lists — the average operating times from this component inform potential bookings lists in the Elective Schedule Monitor.
Tips for success
- Drill down by doctor to see case-specific history that forms each estimate.
- Focus on high-volume procedures for the most stable averages.
- Use filters strategically to target key specialties or surgeons driving theatre minutes.
❓FAQs / Troubleshooting
Q. How recent is the data?
A. Operating Times updates each morning with the latest two years of completed operation data.
Q. Can I export the data?
A. Yes — activate the table and use the Export button to download results for review or further analysis.