This metadata item is required for patients in all Elective surgery waiting list episode—clinical urgency, code N categories. Overdue patients are those for whom the hospital system has failed to provide timely care and whose wait may have an adverse effect on the outcome of their care. They are identified by a comparison of Elective surgery waiting list episode—waiting time (at removal), total days N[NNN] or Elective surgery waiting list episode—waiting time (at a census date), total days N[NNN] and the maximum desirable time limit for the clinical urgency category.

A patient is classified as overdue if ready for surgery and waiting time at admission or waiting time at a census date is longer than 30 days for patients in clinical urgency category 1, 90 days for patients in clinical urgency category 2, or 365 days for patients in clinical urgency category 3.