95% of Non-admitted patients should have an RTT period of less than 18 Weeks from receipt of referral. For patients who require a non-surgical intervention to treat their condition e.g. a tube of cream or medication, 95% must receive their treatment within 18 Weeks from receipt of referral. The 18 Week RTT clock stops ticking on the date that the patient receives their medication or they are discharged from the Hospital. n.b. this Standard is going to be removed from the Rules and we will update the website to reflect this when it is appropriate to do so. 

92% of patients on an Incomplete pathway should be waiting less than 18 Weeks from receipt of referral: This standard includes all patients who are yet to receive their first definitive treatment or discharge. This includes all patients who are still waiting for an Outpatient appointment, diagnostic test or elective admission added together. Please note - this target does not allow any adjustments for clock pauses to be taken into account . Penalty Any Hospital specialty that allows more than 8% of the waiting list (incomplete pathways) to exceed 18 Weeks may incur penalties.

No patient should wait longer than 52 weeks for treatment from receipt of referral. If the patient requires surgery as their treatment (therefore on an Admitted pathway) and there is a pause for patient choice, the pause is disregarded, so the full waiting time is counted. Penalty Hospitals who have patients who have waited over 52 weeks may incur a fine of £5,000 per patient per month that they have waited over 52 weeks.

It is not always possible to treat all patients within 18 Weeks. For those instances there are tolerances of the standards.

• 10% of patients on an Admitted pathway
• 5% of patietns on a Non-admitted pathway
• 8% of patients on an Incomplete pathway

If a patient is treated on a date after their 18 Week RTT date was due, this is classed as a ‘breach’ of the standards. It is really important to know that a patient does not breach until they are treated e.g. if a patient is referred to Hospital on 1.2.2013 the date they must be treated by is 7.6.2013 if the patient is treated after this date they will breach in the month that they are treated.