Guides

Three things worth knowing before you read a waiting time.

• Urgency categories explained

  What Category 1, 2 and 3 mean for planned surgery in an Australian public hospital, who decides your category, and how it affects your wait.

• Can my GP refer me to a different hospital?

  Yes — including a hospital in another state. What a referral to a different public hospital involves, and the questions to ask your GP first.

• Public and private waiting compared

  Why private hospital waiting times are not on this site, what the public figures cover, and what to ask before choosing.