How we manage waiting lists for our services
On this page you’ll find information about waiting standards and processes for referrals into our services where those services operate waiting lists.
For inpatient services
Waiting standards and referrals for our inpatient services are defined in our Admission and Discharge Procedure. This procedure ensures service users are admitted to and remain in hospital for no longer than they need by effectively managing the inpatient stay, that people are cared for in the most appropriate environment and that care is planned to meet the needs and goals of the service user with their full involvement.
Our Procedure for the use of the Section 136 Suite as Designated Beds To Facilitate Detention (“Flex Beds”) sets out how our Section 136 Suite can be designated as formal beds in order to facilitate admission to hospital and formal detention to these beds when required. It ensures that any patient admitted / detained to the Section 136 area will receive an appropriate standard of care and treatment equivalent to those within a usual admission bed.
| Name of Inpatient Service | Link to web page |
|---|---|
| Adult Inpatient Wards | Acute Inpatient Services |
| Adult Section 136 Place of Safety | Street Triage – Health-based Place of Safety |
| Children and Young People Mental Health Inpatient Units | Red Kite View in Leeds |
| Learning Disability Inpatient Services at Woodland Square | Learning Disability Inpatient Services |
| Low Secure Forensic Wards | Low Secure Forensic Service – Leeds |
| National Inpatient Centre for Psychological Medicine | National Inpatient Centre for Psychological Medicine (NICPM) |
| Older People’s Mental Health inpatient wards | Older People’s Inpatient Services |
| Perinatal Mother and Baby unit | Perinatal Mental Health Service |
| Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) | Psychiatric Intensive Care Service (PICU). |
| Rehabilitation and Recovery inpatient units at Asket Croft and Asket House, Leeds. | Complex Psychosis Pathway |
| Yorkshire Centre for Eating Disorders | Eating Disorders Service (Adult) |
All other services that operate a waiting list
For all our other services which operate a waiting list, we have developed a Waiting List Management Procedure.
This procedure sets out the arrangements for the management of waiting lists to ensure service users receive timely, equitable access to treatment in line with local and national access standards and the NHS Constitution.
The procedure also includes guidelines and procedures to ensure that waiting lists are managed effectively and that the offer of a high quality of care to service users is maintained.
Services that operate waiting lists do so in different ways. Therefore during 2024 each service will develop its own Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) by which it operates. Our commitment is that all our service’s SOPs will align to the principles set out in this procedure, and they will provide information about them on their web pages by 31 December 2024.
Below is a list of all the services covered by this procedure.
| Name of Service | Link to web page |
| Assertive Outreach team | Complex Psychosis Pathway |
| Community Learning Disability Services | Community Learning Disability Teams (CLDT) |
| Community Mental Health Services for Working Age Adults in Leeds | Community Mental Health Service |
| Community Rehabilitation Enhanced Support Team (CREST) | Complex Psychosis Pathway |
| CONNECT: Eating Disorders Community Service for West Yorkshire | Eating Disorders Service (Adult) |
| Deaf Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service | Deaf Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service |
| Emerge Leeds: Complex Emotional Needs Service | EMERGE Leeds: Complex Emotional Needs Service |
| Forensic Outreach Team (Leeds) | Low Secure Forensic Service – Leeds |
| Forensic Outreach Team (York) | Low Secure Forensic Service – York |
| Forward Leeds (addiction service) | Alcohol and Drug services: Forward Leeds |
| Gender Identity Service | Gender Identity Service |
| Leeds Adult ADHD Service | Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Service |
| Leeds Autism Diagnostic Service | Autism Diagnostic Service (LADS) |
| Liaison Psychiatry Outpatient Service | Liaison Psychiatry |
| Memory Assessment Service | Memory Assessment Service |
| Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). | Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Service |
| NHS Northern Gambling Service | NHS Northern Gambling Service |
| Older Peoples’ Service Community Team | Older People’s Community Mental Health Services |
| OP Courage: The veterans mental health and wellbeing service | Op COURAGE: The veterans mental health and wellbeing service |
| Perinatal Community Service | Perinatal Mental Health Service |
| Psychosexual Medicine | Leeds Psychosexual Medicine (PSM) Service |
| Recovery Centre at Asket Croft | Complex Psychosis Pathway |
| Young People with Dementia | Younger People with Dementia Service |
Exceptions
The only services that are excluded from these waiting list standards are our Crisis Services who provide immediate responses when needed.
This includes our:
- Crisis Resolution Intensive Support Service
- Intensive Home Treatment Team
- Care Homes Team
- The other exclusion is our Specialised Supported Living Service.
Page last updated: 19th Mar 2026 9:43am