Just one patient waits 18 months for treatment at Sherwood Forest Hospitals as bosses strive to cut wait-times

The Government and NHS England set a goal of clearing all waits of more than 18 months by April – excluding very complex cases or patients who choose to wait longer.

However, the latest figures show the Government has fallen short, with 41 per cent of the 10,737 cases falling into the category of people choosing to wait or exceptionally complex cases – leaving the remainder as routine waits for treatment.

According to the data, just one patient had been waiting for treatment at SFH – which runs Mansfield Community and Sutton’s King’s Mill hospitals – for 18 months or more, with the figures suggesting it was a routine wait.

The trust said it had “worked hard” to drastically reduce its waiting lists.

In total, 47,727 patients were waiting for treatment at SFH at the end of March, with 801 waiting for a year or more.

Rachel Eddie, SFH chief operating officer, said: “We know there is a patient behind each and every one of these statistics, which is why I would like to thank our patients for their understanding as our hardworking teams continue to do all they can to ensure patients can access the treatment they need and deserve as quickly as possible.

“Our dedicated teams have worked incredibly hard to get people into hospital and treated as soon as possible and I want to pay tribute to them for their continued efforts to reduce the time people have to wait for their procedures – all while they continue to manage ongoing winter pressures, the impact of recent strike action and the long-lasting effects of the pandemic.”

The trust said it had achieving success in reducing wait times, “despite the significant impact of the recent industrial action, which saw the trust postpone hundreds of less urgent appointments and procedures in order to prioritise emergency care services, to keep patients safe”.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said the Government’s broken promise had left “thousands of patients in pain and discomfort for unacceptably long”.

He said: “This is just the latest broken promise that shows you can’t trust the Tories with the NHS.

“Ministers blame strikes, as if they are mere bystanders. It was their refusal to speak to nurses and junior doctors that forced them out on strike in the first place.”

The national waiting list peaked in September 2021, when nearly 250,000 people were waiting 18 months for treatment, including 179 at SFH.

Sir Julian Hartley, NHS Providers chief executive, said: “Staff and trust leaders deserve credit for continuing to work flat out to see people as quickly as possible and to improve the flow of patients through the whole health system, but there’s a long way to go to get waiting times and lists down to where patients want.”

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: “Cutting waiting lists to ensure people get the care they need more quickly is one of the Government’s priorities.”