Wigan hospitals' treatment waiting times for May revealed
Tens of thousands of patients were waiting for routine treatment at Wigan borough hospitals in May, figures show.
A year on since Labour came into Government, health think tanks have warned it will struggle to meet waiting time pledges alongside significant plans to reform the NHS.
NHS England figures show 50,200 patients were waiting for non-urgent elective operations or treatment at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust (WWL) facilities at the end of May – down slightly from 50,409 in April, and 55,222 in May 2024.
Of those, 1,843 (four per cent) had been waiting for longer than a year.
The median waiting time from referral at an NHS Trust to WWL hospitals was 14 weeks at the end of May – the same as in April.
Nationally, an estimated 7.4 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of May, relating to 6.2 million patients – the lowest treatment figures since March 2023 and patient figure since April 2023.
And nearly three per cent of people on the waiting list for hospital treatment had been waiting more than 52 weeks in May, up slightly on the month before.
The Government and NHS England are aiming to bring this figure to under one per cent by March 2026.
Danielle Jefferies, senior analyst at think tanks The King's Fund, said: "A year on since the general election, the Government has now set out its long-term vision for how it'll turn things around in the NHS."
She said it will include delivering more care into the community, a greater focus on prevention and early intervention, and enhancing digital and innovation.
However, she warned the details of the Government’s 10 Year Plan for Health are "too vague".
She said: "In the coming months and years, the Government will need to be honest with the public over what trade-offs we should expect in the care we receive as it sets about delivering on its planned reforms."
Separate figures show 1.7 million patients in England were waiting for a key diagnostic test in May – the same as in April.
At WWL centres, 13,452 patients were waiting for one of 14 standard tests, such as an MRI scan, non-obstetric ultrasound or gastroscopy at this time.
Of them, 3,360 (25 per cent) had been waiting for at least six weeks.
Other figures show cancer patients at WWL hospitals are not being seen quickly enough.
The NHS states 85 per cent of cancer patients urgently referred by a GP should start treatment within 62 days.
But NHS England data shows just 76 per cent of patients urgently referred by the NHS who received cancer treatment at Wigan hospitals in May began treatment within two months of referral.
That was down from 82 per cent in April, but up from 75 per cent in May 2024.
Nuffield Trust deputy director of research Sarah Scobie said the data underlines how "difficult" it will be to meet waiting list pledges alongside deeper reforms.
She added: "The waiting list for planned care was growing for almost a decade before its peak in 2023, so while it is good news that it has come down from its peak, until the NHS is able to meet the growing demand for healthcare, we will continue to see delays and frustration."