Quarterly Hospital Activity

Following a consultation with users of the Quarterly Activity Return (QAR) a decision was made to retire the collection. The consultation and outcome document with further details can be found here. QAR data is available from this page (at the link under Data below) covering the period Quarter 1 2004-05 to Quarter 4 2019-20.

From June 2020 data, other referrals, previously collected as part of QAR, is now collected via the Monthly Referrals Return (MRR) here. The MRR is a streamlined version of the Monthly Activity Return (MAR) and QAR focusing on referral elements only.

Replacement information covering the consultant-led outpatient and inpatient activity previously collected in MAR and QAR will be published as part of NHS Digital’s existing monthly official statistics publication series (Monthly Hospital Episode Statistics for Admitted Patient Care, Outpatients and Accident and Emergency) released on the same day as the previous MAR data.


Quarterly activity data relating to inpatients (elective) and outpatients. All data items relate to all specialties. Figures are submitted quarterly on the Quarterly Activity Return (QAR) by NHS TrustsĀ and Independent sector providers treating NHS patients.

Outpatient data include:

  • the number of GP and other referrals for first consultant outpatient appointments,
  • the total number of attendances at consultant outpatient clinics including patients seen for their first appointments as well as those attending for subsequent or follow up appointments,
  • the number of patients who did not attend their outpatient appointment (first or subsequent) and gave no advance warning, or arrived too late to be seen.

Elective admission events are:

  • decisions to admit,
  • patients admitted,
  • patients failed to attend,
  • removals other than admission.

Return to the Hospital Activity page

Data

View the quarterly hospital activity data

Statistical commentary

Statistical Commentary, Quarter 4 2019-20 (PDF, 312KB)

Guidance

Quarterly Activity Return Guidance (DOC, 57K)

Disclosure review

Risk of Disclosure – Quarterly Activity Return (DOC, 66K)

Contact us

For further information about the published statistics, please contact us at:

Performance Analysis Team (Central)
NHS England and NHS Improvement
Room 5E15
Quarry House
Leeds LS2 7UE
Great Britain
Email: england.nhsdata@nhs.net