Every figure, with its source

How to read the comparisons

• Comparable Same definition in both countries, or a single figure with a clear meaning.
• Compare with care Similar measures with different definitions or dates. Fine for the broad picture, not for exact rankings.
• Not comparable Measured in different ways. Compare the trend within each country, not the headline numbers.

Known differences between the two countries

• Waiting times. England measures the whole pathway from referral to treatment for people still waiting. Scotland reports separate stages: first outpatient appointment, then inpatient or day case treatment. The Office for National Statistics has concluded that waiting times cannot be reliably compared across the four UK nations.
• A&E. Scotland’s headline figure covers all A&E sites, including minor injury units. England’s figure here covers major (Type 1) departments only. Scotland’s emergency-department-only figure is lower than its all-site figure.
• Delayed discharge. Scotland counts people at a monthly census and reports bed days. England uses daily hospital returns and a newer discharge-ready-date dataset. Per-person rates are indicative.
• Spending. Figures are cash per person and are not adjusted for age, rurality or health need, all of which raise costs in Scotland.
• North East England. Used as a like-for-like comparator because its deprivation and industrial history are similar to Scotland’s. It is smaller and more urban, with no remote or island areas.

How figures are kept current

Each figure records the publication it came from, how often that publication updates, and the date it was last checked. A figure shows “Check due” once its next release is likely to be out. See the release calendar.