Abstract Purpose To analyze the relationship between surgical delay for hip fractures due to administrative-organizational reasons and the mortality index. Materials and methods We present a retrospective study of 634 hip fractures operated over a 5-year period. These also included patients whose surgery was postponed for organizational-administrative reasons but who were ready for surgery from the moment they were admitted. We excluded from the study patients who had a prior or an acute condition, patients under 65, patients with pathological fractures, multiple-trauma patients, and patients with anti coagulation or dementia. A comparison was made between the mortality rate of patients operated the same or the following day they were admitted with those operated the second or third days and with those operated after that time. Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed to analyze the relationship between surgical delay and several variables. Results About 18.6% of patients included in the study died at one year follow-up. Age, male gender and surgical risk were associated to higher mortality. The type of fracture, surgery or anesthesia did not influence final prognosis. Patients operated the same or the following day after admission had a lower mortality rate than those operated subsequently, regardless of age, gender or surgical risk. Conclusions The mortality index in autonomous patients, who did not present with an acute condition on admission and who were operated for a hip fracture the same or the following day they were admitted is significantly lower than that for patients operated at a later date.