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A PATIENT is suspended from the ELECTIVE ADMISSION LIST for medical reasons or is unavailable for admission for a specified period because of family commitments, holidays or other reasons. During this period of suspension, a PATIENT on an ELECTIVE ADMISSION LIST is unavailable for admission and therefore should not be given an OFFER OF ADMISSION for this interval. Note that a PATIENT cannot be suspended from the elective waiting list after an OFFER OF ADMISSION has been made.

Periods of suspension are normally deducted from the waiting time from the ORIGINAL DECIDED TO ADMIT DATE. However if the PATIENT has self-deferred, the period of suspension will be deducted from the date offered for admission which was refused.

In some instances, a PATIENT who is medically unfit for treatment could be removed from the waiting list altogether, but it should be stressed that this would need to be a clinical judgement made locally. PATIENTS on an ELECTIVE ADMISSION LIST should be those who need treatment and who are likely to be fit for surgery when offered admission. The Waiting List Action Team Handbook: Getting Patients Treated (August 1999) issued by the DH states that only PATIENTS who are clinically ready to undergo surgery should be placed on a waiting list for surgery. However, PATIENTS can become medically unfit for treatment while already on an ELECTIVE ADMISSION LIST. They may develop conditions, such as diabetes or obesity, that need to be treated before surgery can take place.

Once the period of suspension has passed, the PATIENT is restored to valid membership of an ELECTIVE ADMISSION LIST. 

This data element is also known by these names:

Context	Alias
plural	SUSPENDED PATIENTS