Region tackles waiting times

Across the region NHS teams have been working incredibly hard to reduce the time people wait for treatment.  

Despite the pandemic, teams have managed to maintain a significant amount of care for our patents - we have carried out nearly 700,000 operations, more than 5 million outpatient appointments and seen around two million people in our A&E departments*. This is addition to the millions of appointments across primary care and the delivery of our biggest ever vaccinations programme.  

Commenting on behalf of all NHS providers in the region, Mr Ken Bremner MBE, Chief Executive of South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, said:   

"Waiting times across the region have remained above the England average which is testament to the efforts of all NHS staff working in all parts of the system - community teams, hospital and ambulance staff and everyone working in GP practices and primary care.

“Given the tough start we had to 2022 with Omicron and significant staff absences, it’s a credit to everyone working in the NHS to see A&E waiting times remaining stable and a continued reduction in those people waiting more than 52 weeks for planned treatments.  

“The pandemic has meant more patients waiting longer for treatment than any of us would like. We never underestimate the personal impact it has on our patients and their loved ones when they are waiting for treatment.  Behind every statistic is a person and a family whose lives are impacted by any delays.  We know it can be frustrating and worrying. 

"As we manage the backlog of people waiting, all NHS providers are working together to make sure that we use all available capacity right across the region to offer patients the soonest possible appointments. In some cases, this might mean patients choosing to go to different places it if means they can have their care more quickly.  

"The NHS in our region has historically had an excellent reputation for the services we provide and for our performance against national standards.  We are starting from a much better position than other parts of the country and our priority now is to get services back on track as quickly as we can."