All patients on a waiting list for a service can be ready for care (RFC) or not ready for care (NRFC) on any given day. The ready for care status is used in waiting list management to indicate whether a patient can be booked to receive care on a selected day.
A ready for care patient is ready, both clinically and personally, to receive their planned service.
A not ready for care patient is:
- a patient for whom a service is indicated, but is unable to accept an immediate offer for the planned service until their clinical condition improves;
- a patient who for personal reasons is not yet prepared to receive their planned service; or
- a patient who has undergone a service and is waiting for a follow-up, where the patient is not in a position to receive the service until some future, planned period of time because of their clinical condition.