Patient waiting times - all specialities (FOI)

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Request

A

Please advise the waiting times for patients who have had an initial first outpatients appointment until the follow up appointment, in all specialties? Some people are stating that they are waiting as long as five​ months for their next appointment.

B

Please advise the current waiting lists for MRI scans?

​Response

A

It is not possible to report against the criteria stipulated. The information requested would require review and analysis of all first and follow-up appointments for every service user of Health and Community Services, which is not possible within timescales prescribed in the Freedom of Information (Costs) (Jersey) Regulations 2014, therefore, Article 16 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied. Furthermore, a Scheduled Public Authority is not required to create new datasets in order to respond to Freedom of Information requests.

It should be noted that there are circumstances where it is wholly appropriate for follow-up appointments to be scheduled at intervals of a number of months, depending on specialty. Some recalls or surveillance schedules may be set at 6-month or 12-month intervals, such as in surveillance for cancer, or review of stable chronic conditions.

B

The current average waiting time for a routine MRI appointment is five months.

Article applied

Article 16 - A scheduled public authority may refuse to supply information if cost excessive

(1) A scheduled public authority that has been requested to supply information may refuse to supply the information if it estimates that the cost of doing so would exceed an amount determined in the manner prescribed by Regulations. ​