In May, nearly half a million people in Greater Manchester were on NHS waiting lists, almost double the number before the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the latest figures from the NHS, 498,079 people were on waiting lists at trusts in the region. This marks the third consecutive month of increased waiting lists, up from 497,452 in April and 490,496 in March, although it is a decrease from a peak of 525,371 in July 2023.
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), the largest collection of hospitals in the country, had the highest number of people waiting, with 188,986 patients. The trust includes Manchester Royal Infirmary, Wythenshawe Hospital, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, and several others. The second-largest trust, the Northern Care Alliance, had 145,174 people waiting for procedures and appointments at its hospitals, including Salford Royal and the Royal Oldham Hospital.
Before the pandemic in February 2020, Greater Manchester’s trusts had a combined waiting list of 236,647 people. When the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust was formed in October 2017, the waiting lists totalled 190,556.
Regarding A&E departments, more than half of the patients (51.8%) attending Bolton NHS Foundation Trust’s major A&E at the Royal Bolton Hospital had to wait over four hours in June. Other trusts with high waiting times included Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust at 48.8% and Wrightington, Wigan And Leigh NHS Foundation Trust at 45.7%. Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust had a waiting time of 44.5%, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust was at 43.8%, and Stockport NHS Foundation Trust at 38.0%.
The Manchester Evening News reported a reduction in long-waiting patients in Greater Manchester during 2023-24, with MFT achieving the largest reduction in long-waiting patients of any hospital trust in the country. This included patients waiting more than 78, 65, and 52 weeks for appointments and procedures. Proportionally, the Greater Manchester region is now mid-placed in terms of long waiters compared to other regions.
A spokesperson for the NHS in Greater Manchester highlighted ongoing efforts to further reduce waiting lists. They mentioned a long-term plan to continue these reductions, including implementing surgical hubs for common elective procedures, using mutual aid between hospitals, and investing in new technologies to make treatments quicker and more effective. The NHS continues to support patients who are waiting and prioritise those with the most urgent clinical needs.
The region is actively working to address the backlog, with significant progress already made and plans in place to improve waiting times further.
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