Waiting times for orthodontist appointments (FOI)

​​​​​​Request

A

Please confirm the average waiting time in terms of weeks and months for an orthodontist appointment for children from 2017 to 2023 by year. 

B

Please confirm the average waiting list length for an orthodontist appointment for children from 2017 to 2023 by year. 

C

Please advise the current waiting list for an orthodontist appointment for children in 2024.

Response

Waiting times from referral to first appointment will depend on the urgency determined through triage, the process by which referrals are sorted and prioritised by urgency. Information on referrals and triage, including the prioritisation of appointments, is available on www.gov.je at the following link:

Hospital waiting lists (gov.je)​

Average waiting times use the median wait, which is calculated by arranging each patient's waiting time in order, and then selecting the waiting time of the person at the mid-point of that order. Half of all patients on the list have been waiting less than the median wait time and half have been waiting longer than this. Health and Community Services (HCS) reports median waiting times as these are less impacted by outlier values when there are a small number of cases.

A

Table 1 attached details the average (median) length of time waited by patients under the age of 18 for a first Orthodontic outpatient appointment each year since 2017, from receipt of referral by HCS to appointment attendance. Median wait times have been provided separately for ‘Urgent’ and ‘Routine’ referrals. In the case of non-attendance or cancellation of a first appointment, this is not included in the calculation, and the wait time reported is calculated using the actual date of first attendance.

Table 1 Median Waits for First Orthodontic Appointment, 2017 to 2023.pdf​

B

Table 2 attached details the number of patients under the age of 18 waiting for a first Orthodontic outpatient appointment at the end of each year, from 2019 to 2023. Waiting lists are dynamic and refer to a point in time. HCS holds snapshot waiting list data from 2019 onward. Figures are not available for 2017 or 2018, and Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies.

Table 2 Numbers Waiting for First Orthodontic Appointment, 2019 to 2023.pdf​

C

As of 31 December 2023 (most recent validated data available), 108 patients under the age of 18 were awaiting a first appointment in Orthodontics. The median waiting time for referrals assessed as ‘Urgent’ was 4 weeks, and 9 weeks for those referrals assessed as ‘Routine’. 

Article applied

Article 3 - Meaning of “information held by a public authority”

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if –

(a)     it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or

(b)     it is held by another person on behalf of the authority.​