Waiting for your appointment
We will aim to see you as soon as possible. Waiting times can vary depending on how urgent your condition is.
Your waiting time will depend on the service you have been referred to and your individual needs. Patients are seen in order of clinical priority.
What happens after we receive your referral
When we receive a referral, a specialist will review your information and assess how urgent your care needs are.
You will then be added to a waiting list to see the appropriate healthcare professional.
When you are at the top of the waiting list, we will contact you to offer an appointment. This may be face to face or virtual.
We follow the regional Integrated Elective Access Protocol when booking appointments.
How patients are prioritised
Patients on our waiting lists are prioritised based on how urgent their clinical need is.
- Red flag appointments
For patients with suspected cancer. These are the highest priority. - Urgent appointments
For patients who need care quickly for conditions that are not cancer. - Routine appointments
For patients who need care that is not urgent.
Your referrer should tell you if your referral is red flag, urgent or routine. However, the priority may be reviewed and changed by the clinician assessing your referral.
How will I know if I’m on the waiting list?
If you have been referred to one of the Northern Trust services below, you will receive a text message or letter acknowledging receipt of your referral.
If your GP or another healthcare professional refers you to one of the Northern Trust services listed below, we will let you know when we receive your referral.
We will contact you by text message or letter.
If you get this message or letter, it means you are on the waiting list for that service.
Services include:
- General outpatient clinics (medical and surgical)
- Addictions services
- Children’s services
- Community mental health teams
- Condition Management Programme
- Forensic mental health services
- Orthoptics
- Speech and Language Therapy (children and adults)
- Inpatient and day case procedures
- Post-COVID clinic
- Psychological services
- Wellness hubs
If you have been referred to one of the Northern Trust services below, we will contact you when you reach the top of the waiting list. You do not need to do anything while you are waiting. We will be in touch when an appointment becomes available.
Servies include:
- Clinical Physiology
- Community Occupational Therapy
- Dietetics
- Mental Health Services for Older People
- Orthopaedic ICATS
- Physiotherapy
- Podiatry
- Radiology
- Wheelchair services
How long will I have to wait?
We understand that waiting can be difficult. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to provide an exact timeframe, as waiting lists change daily and patients are seen based on clinical priority.
You can find the latest average waiting times on My Waiting Times NI.
Where can I check waiting times?
You can check waiting times on My Waiting Times NI.
To find the information:
- Go to My Waiting Times NI
- Choose the health and social care trust managing your care
- Select the outpatient service
- Choose the specialty you are waiting for
You can then view the average waiting times.
Waiting times are shown by level of urgency, such as red flag, urgent, or routine.
How can I access other information, including clinic letters?
You can use My Care, the encompass patient portal, to view parts of your health record online.
You can access My Care:
- Through the ‘MyChart’ app (available to download for free from your app store)
- On a computer or tablet using a web browser
My Care gives you secure, personal access to information about your care, including appointment details and clinic letters.
With My Care, you can:
- Receive appointment details directly on your phone
- View some test results as soon as they are available
- Get secure messages from your care team
- Read letters sent to you by your care team
- Access trusted health information
- View a summary of your health record, including some past conditions, medications and allergies
View more information about My Care and how to login.
My Care is optional. You can still receive information about your care through the usual methods, such as letters or phone calls.
You can also find more information on the Digital Health and Care NI website.
How soon will I get an appointment?
When you reach the top of the waiting list, we will contact you to arrange your appointment.
Your appointment may be:
- Face-to-face, or
- Virtual (for example, by phone or video)
In some cases, we will send you a fixed appointment date and time.
You will receive a letter confirming the specialty, date, time, and location of your appointment.
Can I get an earlier (cancellation) appointment?
If someone cancels their appointment, we offer that slot to the next patient on the waiting list. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee an earlier appointment, but you may be contacted if one becomes available.
Can I cancel or change my appointment?
Yes. If you need to cancel or change your appointment, please call the phone number on your appointment letter.
Alternatively, you can contact the hospital switchboard and ask to be put through to the relevant booking office:
- Antrim Area Hospital: 028 9442 4000
- Causeway Hospital: 028 7032 7032
What should I do if I cannot attend my appointment?
If you cannot attend your appointment, please let us know as soon as possible so we can offer the slot to another patient.
Call the phone number on your appointment letter. Alternatively, you can contact the hospital switchboard:
- Antrim Area Hospital: 028 9442 4000
- Causeway Hospital: 028 7032 7032
What happens if I miss my appointment?
If you do not attend your appointment and do not tell us in advance, this is recorded as a Did Not Attend (DNA). You will be referred back to your GP.
If you still need to be seen, you will need to contact your GP again and ask to be referred back to the service.
Why it’s important to let us know
About 1 in 10 patients miss their appointments each month. It is estimated that each outpatient appointment costs around £160.
If you cannot attend, letting us know helps:
- Free up the appointment for someone else
- Avoid wasting health service time and money
- Reduce delays for other patients
Please attend your appointment or let us know as soon as possible if you cannot attend.
I haven’t received any updates – who should I contact?
If you haven’t heard from us about your referral, you can call and ask for an update:
- Antrim Area Hospital: 028 9442 4000
- Causeway Hospital: 028 7032 7032
Please ask to be put through to the relevant booking team or service, who can check the status of your referral.
Will I be removed from the waiting list?
We will not remove you from the waiting list unless:
- You ask us to, or
- You do not respond to our letters or messages
While you are waiting for your appointment, we may contact you to check if you still want to remain on the waiting list.
What should I do if my condition gets worse while I’m waiting?
If your condition changes or gets worse, please contact your GP. They can send us an updated referral with your current condition.
A specialist will review this and decide if your appointment needs to be prioritised.
Please note, your GP can only request a change in priority for medical reasons. They cannot speed up your appointment for other reasons.
Can I move to another Trust if their waiting times are shorter?
You will be treated based on how urgent your condition is.
Moving to another hospital or Trust does not usually mean you will be seen any sooner. In some cases, it could take longer if tests or appointments need to be repeated.
We recommend staying under the care of your current hospital. If an earlier appointment becomes available at another location, we will contact you to discuss your options.
Why can urgent patients sometimes appear to wait longer than routine patients?
In some specialties, there are only a small number of urgent referrals.
Because of this, even a small delay—such as a cancelled appointment by the patient or the hospital—can affect the average waiting time more noticeably. This can make it look like urgent patients are waiting longer than routine patients for that period.
However, urgent patients are still prioritised based on clinical need.
I no longer need treatment – how can I be removed from the waiting list?
If you no longer need your appointment—for example, if you have already been treated elsewhere or your condition has improved—please let us know as soon as possible.
You can call the phone number on your appointment letter. Alternatively, contact the hospital switchboard and ask to be put through to the relevant booking team:
- Antrim Area Hospital: 028 9442 4000
- Causeway Hospital: 028 7032 7032
Letting us know means we can offer the appointment to another patient who is waiting.
Update your contact details
If your name, address or phone number has changed, please let us know as soon as possible.
- Call the number shown on your appointment letter, or
- Phone the Trust switchboard on 028 9442 4000 or 028 7032 7032 and ask for the relevant booking office or service.
You should also update your details with your GP practice.
Support while waiting
The Support While Waiting Grant Scheme helps voluntary and community organisations offer practical and emotional support to people who are waiting for treatment.
Read more about the Support While Waiting Grant Scheme.
Waiting List Reimbursement Scheme
The Waiting List Reimbursement Scheme may help if you choose to have treatment in an EU country.
You can claim back the cost of your treatment if:
- The treatment is available through Health and Social Care (HSC) services, and
- The amount claimed is either the actual cost of treatment or the average HSC cost (whichever is lower).