6 days Ago
It comes as Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting warned there is still "a long way to go", despite waiting lists across England starting to fall. NHS England figures show 81,555 patients were waiting for non-urgent elective operations or treatment at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust at the end of October – up slightly from 81,020 in September, and 76,720 in Oct-23. Of those, 2,318 (3%) had been waiting for longer than a year.
The median waiting time from referral to treatment at Mersey and West Lancashire Hospitals Trust was 14 weeks at the end of October – the same as in September. Nationally, 6.3 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of October – in line with the end of September.
Tim Gardner, assistant director of policy at think tank the Health Foundation, said the figures show the substantial challenge the Government faces. He said: "Whilst promising progress has been made in recent months, the 18-week target hasn't been met for nearly a decade. "With the NHS facing the prospect of a very difficult winter, making further headway over the next few months will.
.. Kelsey Maxwell.
