Hospitals Trust secures £2 million for reducing wait times

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) has been named the most improved trust in the country for cutting planned care waiting times, securing £2 million in capital funding. Performance between April and September saw a significant 14% improvement in the 18-week referral to treatment figures. The national target aims for 92% of patients to receive treatment within this timeframe.

SaTH also reduced the number of patients waiting over a year for planned care by 92%. The overall waiting list was cut by 10,000 patients, including a 40% reduction in the number of children waiting for treatment.

This progress was achieved by increasing the number of operations in theatres from about 1,200 to 1,600 a month. The Trust also improved access to diagnostics and boosted outpatient appointments and productivity.

In recognition of this success, the Trust received £2 million through NHS England’s Elective Care Capital Incentive Scheme. This scheme rewards organisations which make significant reductions in waiting times.

The funding will be invested in creating extra inpatient and acute assessment capacity at both the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. This aims to improve access to urgent and emergency care and protect elective capacity, especially during winter.

New equipment for diagnostics, theatres, and outpatients will also be purchased to help the Trust make further progress on cutting waiting times.

Consultant Surgeon Mr Joe McCloud, who is the Divisional Medical Director for Surgery, Anaesthetics, Cancer and Critical Care, said: “This is fantastic news for our patients who are accessing and receiving their care and treatment much quicker, improving not just their outcomes but also their NHS experience.”

Chief Operating Officer Ned Hobbs acknowledged the hard work of the clinical and operational teams. He said: “While we recognise there is much more for us to do so every patient has access to timely NHS care, we are moving in the right direction. We are determined to build on our progress.”

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said he wanted to “recognise and reward their excellent work.” He added: “Our brilliant frontline staff are innovating and finding new ways to run their surgeries and get patients seen faster.”