Thousands in Cheshire on NHS waiting lists for hospital treatment

New figures published by NHS England reveal a record 6.5m people are waiting for treatment.

Here in Cheshire, 32,105 are waiting at Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust (covering Leighton Hospital) while a further 8,625 are waiting at East Cheshire NHS Trust (covering Macclesfield Hospital).

The numbers of people on waiting lists has increased by more than 50 per cent in the post-pandemic era. At the outbreak, there were already 4.4 million people on the NHS waiting list in England, which was then a record high.

There are more than 40,000 people on waiting lists for hospital treatment across Cheshire East and West

Nationally, the standard of 92 per cent of people seen within 18 weeks of a referral has not been met since 2016. Now, more than one in every nine people in England are on the NHS waiting list.

Cheshire West and Chester Council leader Louise Gittins and Cheshire East Council leader Sam Corcoran said in shared statement: “Too many people in Cheshire are waiting too long for treatment on the NHS. That’s not good enough, and it’s ruining people’s lives.

“The truth is this government is delivering chaos and queues as far as the eye can see.

“We need a real plan to get waiting lists under control.”

Cheshire West Council leader Louise Gittins

A spokesperson for the Mid Cheshire Hospitals Trust said: "We would like to sincerely apologise to patients experiencing long waits for treatments.

"As is the picture across the country, the Trust is working to address the waiting lists that have built up over the past two years. 

"We are making progress thanks to the phenomenal efforts of our dedicated and hard-working staff, however, there is still a lot of work to do, and recovery within some services may take longer as we try to prioritise patients with the most urgent conditions; and as more people are encouraged to come forward."

Cheshire East Council leader Sam Corcoran (Image: Cheshire East Council)

Ged Murphy, CEO at East Cheshire NHS Trust, said: “We wish to apologise to all patients who are experiencing long waits for treatments, and we are continuing to make every effort to reduce our waiting lists.

“We, like many other trusts are ensuring that the ongoing lists, following the Covid-19 pandemic are being managed in the safest way possible for our patients to ensure our most clinically urgent and seriously ill patients are seen first.

“We continue to work with in collaboration with neighbouring trusts and partner organisations to ensure we treat our patients as soon as possible.”