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NHS Data Indices

Seventeen free indices that turn official NHS and CQC statistics into a clear, comparable picture of how the health service is performing — waiting times, access, workforce, pay and care quality — by specialty, trust and area.

The NHS Data Indices are 17 free, source-cited views of official UK health statistics. They cover NHS waiting times (RTT), A&E and ambulance response, GP access, diagnostic (DM01) and cancer waits, NHS and NHSBSA dental access, cancelled operations and delayed discharge, CQC care-home and maternity ratings, and NHS staff vacancies, agency staffing and Agenda for Change pay. Every figure comes from NHS England, NHS Digital, the NHSBSA, the Care Quality Commission or NHS Employers, re-published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Information current as of July 2026; last reviewed 2026-07-03.

Access & waiting times

How long patients wait and how easy NHS services are to reach, by specialty, trust and area — the demand signal behind clinical staffing.

NHS Waiting Times Index

Consultant-led referral-to-treatment (RTT) waits by specialty and region against the 18-week standard.

Source: NHS England — Consultant-led RTT Waiting Times

A&E Waiting Times Index

Performance against the four-hour A&E standard by trust and region, from published attendance data.

Source: NHS England — A&E Attendances & Emergency Admissions

GP Access Index

How quickly patients get a GP appointment — same-day, within two weeks, and longer waits — by area.

Source: NHS England — GP Patient Survey

Diagnostic Waits Index (DM01)

Waits for MRI, CT, ultrasound, endoscopy and other tests against the six-week standard.

Source: NHS England — Monthly Diagnostics Waiting Times & Activity (DM01)

Cancer Waiting Times Index

The 62-day referral-to-treatment cancer standard by area — pressure behind oncology and cancer-nurse demand.

Source: NHS England — Cancer Waiting Times

Ambulance Response Index

Category 1 and 2 ambulance response times by service and region, from the Ambulance Quality Indicators.

Source: NHS England — Ambulance Quality Indicators (AQI)

NHS Dental Access by Area

Where NHS dental care is still reachable, by Integrated Care Board (ICB), from official activity data.

Source: NHS Digital — NHS Dental Statistics for England

NHS Dentistry Access Index

The “dental deserts” picture — the share of the population that can reach an NHS dentist, by area.

Source: NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) — NHS Dental Statistics

Health Access Index

A composite view of NHS healthcare access by area, combining waits, GP access and emergency-care pressure.

Source: NHS England — published performance statistics

Cancelled Operations Index

How reliably the NHS honours the 28-day NHS Constitution pledge to rebook patients whose elective operation was cancelled at the last minute.

Source: NHS England — Cancelled Elective Operations (QMCO)

Delayed Discharge Index

How severe hospital discharge delays are — patients medically ready to leave who remain stuck in an acute bed, by region and ICB.

Source: NHS England — Acute Discharge Situation Report

Workforce & pay

Where the NHS staffing gaps are and what NHS roles pay — the honest reason international registration routes exist.

NHS Staff Vacancy Index

NHS vacancies by staff group and region — nursing, medical, allied health and support roles.

Source: NHS Digital — NHS Vacancies Survey

NHS Agency Reliance Index

How heavily the NHS still leans on premium temporary agency staffing, tracked as a base-100 spend index since 2023/24.

Source: DHSC / NHS England — agency staffing spend

NHS Pay Scales 2026/27

Agenda for Change bands and the doctors’ pay scales, with indicative gross salaries by band and point.

Source: NHS Employers / DHSC — Agenda for Change pay scales

NHS Shortage Specialties

Where the NHS medical and clinical shortages concentrate, by specialty — the demand behind the registration routes.

Source: NHS England workforce statistics & the GMC specialist register

Care quality & safety

Independent regulator ratings of NHS and social-care services across England, from the Care Quality Commission.

Care Home Ratings Index

The share of care homes rated inadequate or requires-improvement by region, from the CQC ratings directory.

Source: Care Quality Commission (CQC) — ratings directory

Maternity Care Index

CQC maternity-service ratings across England — context behind the NMC midwifery route.

Source: Care Quality Commission (CQC) — maternity service ratings

About this data

These indices re-present statistics published by UK public bodies under the Open Government Licence v3.0. GeraClinic does not produce the underlying figures. Definitions, coverage periods and methods differ between sources and change over time — always confirm the current figure against the named source before relying on it. Nothing here is medical, financial or legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

Where does the data on these indices come from?+

Every index re-publishes an official UK government statistic — from NHS England, NHS Digital, the NHS Business Services Authority, the Care Quality Commission, NHS Employers or the Office for National Statistics — under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Each index page names its exact source and links to the original publication. GeraClinic does not generate these figures; we present published data in a clearer, more comparable form.

Is this data free to use and cite?+

Yes. The underlying statistics are published under the Open Government Licence, and these index pages are free to read and cite. Each index and its methodology page states the source and the period the data covers so you can attribute it correctly.

How current is the data?+

Each index shows the period it covers and is refreshed as the source body publishes new figures. This hub was last reviewed on 2026-07-03. Always check the individual index and its named source for the latest publication date before relying on a figure.

Why publish NHS data alongside registration pathways?+

The workforce and waiting-time data is the honest context behind UK international recruitment: it shows where the NHS is short-staffed and what roles pay, so internationally-trained clinicians can make informed decisions. The data is presented as information, not as a recruitment inducement.