> FAQs
Frequently asked questions
HES is complex. Even the term 'HES' can have a variety of meanings, being used to refer to the data itself, the way in which it is used and even the people who work with it. The FAQs below are those that we believe are useful to people visiting HESonline. If you have a question that isn't included, please use the link opposite to contact us and we may include it in the FAQs.
General questions about HES
- What is HES?
- Who uses HES data?
- Where does HES data come from?
- Where can I get HES data?
- When are HES extract deadlines?
- Can I use HES to find out about people I know?
Questions about HES data
- What are admitted patients?
- Is there such a thing as an outpatient episode?
- Are Treatment and Diagnostic Centres covered in HES?
- Are mobile treatment centres included in HES?
- Why does HES only cover England?
- What information about specialties is there in HES?
- Does HES contain information on where patients lived?
- Can HES give information on how long people stay in hospital?
- What information can HES provide on waiting times?
- What is the difference between operations, and procedures and interventions?
- What changes have been made to clinical classifications used in HES?
Questions about using HES data
- How accurate are HES data?
- I would like to obtain figures showing changes in hospital activity over a number of years - is this possible?
- What information is there about deaths in HES?
- Can HES provide information about accidents and poisoning?
Questions about the HES system and services
- How do I get on-line access to HES?
Questions about outpatient data
- Why are some fields better completed than others?
- How are you going to get the data improved?
- How will the outpatient dataset change in the future?
- Do the data help to monitor 18-week waits?
- Can we use the data for Practice Based Commissioning?
- Why do more women than men go to outpatient clinics?
- Why are outpatient clinics less busy on Fridays?
- Why do consultants refer from one to another?
- Why do trauma and orthopaedic clinics have an unusual age gender profile?
- Why are non-surgical patients more likely to return more often after their first appointment than surgical patients?