The 9 ‘worst’ hospital trusts in England named where patients have to wait the longest

Nearly 3,000 patients were waiting much than a twelvemonth and a fractional (Image: Getty)

More than fractional of radical waiting the longest for pre-planned infirmary attraction successful England are nether the attraction of conscionable 9 infirmary trusts, according to figures.

As of the extremity of September, 2,703 patients successful England had been waiting astatine slightest a twelvemonth and a fractional to statesman NHS infirmary treatment.

New investigation by the PA quality bureau shows that conscionable 9 NHS trusts unneurotic relationship for much than fractional (51.1%) of this total.

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust was liable for astir 1 successful 5 (21.4%) of the full waiting for astatine slightest a twelvemonth and a fractional for pre-planned infirmary treatment.

Hospitals were keen to accent that the fig is coming down play and has reduced since the extremity of September.

And commentators said hospitals could beryllium “struggling to marque inroads” connected the longest waits owed to problems with getting radical retired of infirmary who are medically acceptable but are awaiting societal care.

They whitethorn besides beryllium facing precocious request for exigency attraction services.

The investigation comes aft Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said failing hospitals volition beryllium named and shamed successful league tables and NHS managers sacked if they cannot amended diligent attraction and instrumentality power of finances.

But experts said trusts should not beryllium named and shamed but alternatively supported to boost services.

Indeed 1 infirmary person suggested the determination would resurrect the alleged “targets and terror” epoch introduced nether the Blair government.

The programme did bring down waiting lists but the infirmary president said it was coupled with a “big inflow of funds” and “applying it portion saying the NHS is not going to get immoderate important summation successful resources volition not work”.

1. University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust – 579 patients, oregon 21.4% of the total

2. Norfolk & Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – 168 patients, 6.2% of the total

3. Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust – 162 patients, 6.0% of the total

4. Milton Keynes University Hospital – 113 patients, 4.2% of the total

5. Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust – 73 patients, 2.7% of the total

6. Barts Health NHS Trust – 72 patients, 2.7% of the total

7. Guy’s & St Thomas’ – 70 patients, 2.6% of the total

8. King’s College Hospital – 65 patients, 2.4% of the total

9. Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust – 57 patients, 2.1% of the total.

All 9 of these trusts are successful confederate oregon eastbound England.

When looking astatine the geographical dispersed of patients having to hold astatine slightest a twelvemonth to commencement infirmary treatment, the representation is much mixed – though the aforesaid spot appears astatine the apical of the list.

There were 249,343 patients successful England astatine the extremity of September waiting astatine slightest a twelvemonth to commencement treatment.

Some 28 NHS trusts unneurotic relationship for much than fractional (50.9%) of this total.

University Hospitals Sussex again accounts for the largest proportion, astatine 4.4% oregon 10,976 patients.

Commenting connected the figures, Rory Deighton, acute manager astatine the NHS Confederation, said: “NHS leaders and their teams person been moving incredibly hard to thrust down waiting lists and we invited the advancement made successful cutting the longest waits. But this occurrence is not dispersed evenly crossed the country.

“As this investigation makes clear, determination are immoderate trusts who are struggling to marque inroads successful their longest waits. This tin beryllium down to a assortment of reasons, including precocious furniture occupancy owed to precocious request for urgent and exigency care, oregon a deficiency of assemblage oregon societal attraction to assistance discharge patients much quickly.

“It is captious that these trusts are supported to boost capableness and not conscionable named and shamed erstwhile determination are often long-standing factors that request to beryllium addressed.

“One of the astir important ways to bash this is for the Government to proceed to boost superior concern into the NHS truthful hospitals tin repair dilapidated estates, regenerate out-of-date instrumentality and put successful the latest technologies.”

Saffron Cordery, lawman main enforcement of the NHS Providers organisation, said: “Trust leaders don’t privation patients to hold a infinitesimal longer than they person to for captious attraction and are doing each they tin to spot patients arsenic rapidly arsenic imaginable amid soaring demand, large fiscal pressures and profoundly entrenched wellness inequalities.

“But wellness leaders are acceptable to enactment with the Government connected the elective betterment program and 10-year wellness program truthful they tin tackle head-on the challenges facing the NHS.”

A spokesperson for University Hospitals Sussex said: “As 1 of the largest trusts successful the country, operating 7 hospitals crossed Sussex, we recognise the magnitude of our waiting database challenges and cognize excessively galore radical are waiting excessively agelong for their care. However, we person responded with important measures to amended this.

“Our dedicated unit person delivered further clinics, making the astir usage of Community Diagnostic Centres, and person improved processes, resulting successful our waiting lists falling faster than astir immoderate different spot successful the country.

“The ongoing absorption of our staff, and our strategy partners, is clear, and we volition support moving astatine this gait to assistance marque definite radical person safe, high-quality attraction arsenic soon arsenic is possible.”

Chris Cobb, main operating serviceman astatine Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals, said: “It is simply a precedence of ours to accelerate our elective betterment to guarantee patients tin entree attraction erstwhile they request it, which includes a programme of enactment to summation elective and time lawsuit enactment and to besides summation the fig of caller out-patient appointments arsenic good arsenic the proportionality of patient-initiated follow-ups.

“We continually reappraisal our waiting lists and we are prioritising cancer, the astir urgent and longest-waiting patients.

“Our teams are moving hard to trim waits by carrying retired further theatre lists and clinics astatine weekends. Where capableness is disposable astatine different trusts, immoderate patients are besides being offered attraction astatine different hospitals to assistance trim waiting times.”

A spokesperson for Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust said: “Led by our clinicians, we person developed a program to trim agelong waiting times for planned care, with the purpose of treating each patients waiting implicit 78 weeks by February 2025.

“This includes expanding theatre capableness by extending operating hours and adding play sessions, exploring enactment from our partners astatine NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight and bringing successful further providers for immoderate specialities.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Patients person been fto down for excessively agelong whilst they hold for the attraction they need. We volition tackle this head-on by delivering an other 40,000 further appointments per week.

“We are besides sending teams of apical clinicians to hospitals astir the state to assistance chopped waiting lists and we precocious announced a bundle of reforms to pull apical endowment and ace down connected failing services.

“September saw the size of the waiting database alteration and boosted by the other concern secured astatine the Budget, we volition chopped waiting lists further, get patients seen faster and physique an NHS acceptable for the future.”