UK hospital waiting lists lowest in 4 years

Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety, Angela Smith MP, today welcomed the news that hospital inpatient and day case waiting lists have fallen to their lowest level for four years.

Highlights from today’s announcement of waiting lists figures for the quarter ended March 2004 include:

• Waiting lists have fallen by 17% since September 2002 and by 10% in the last year. (The total number of people waiting has fallen to 49,975 – a reduction of 5,602 compared to the same time last year, and 10,215 compared to the peak in waiting lists in September 2002).

• Excess waiters have fallen by 60% since September 2002 and by 46% in the last year. (The number of people waiting more than 18 months has fallen to 3,616 – a reduction of 3,043 compared to the same time last year and 5,542 compared to the peak in excess waiters in September 2002).

• 95% of patients seen between December 2003 and March 2004 had been waiting for less than 12 months; 75% had been waiting less than three months.

Commenting on the release of the March 2004 figures, the Minister said:

"I am delighted that waiting lists have fallen below 50,000 for the first time in four years, with 5,600 fewer people waiting for inpatient or daycase treatment than at the same time last year. I am particularly pleased that the number of people who have been waiting more than 18 months has fallen by nearly half during the past year."These figures demonstrate that the steps we are taking to reduce waiting lists through investment in more doctors and nurses and in additional hospital beds are having a real impact. I am very grateful to all of the doctors, nurses, other care professionals and managers for their continued efforts to reduce waiting lists. "The reduction in waiting lists has been achieved at time when our hospitals are busier than ever. In the last quarter, over 1,500 more medical emergencies were admitted to hospital compared to the same period in the previous year."

The number of patients waiting for outpatient appointments has remained relatively constant over the past year. The Minister commented:

"Although the number of patients waiting for their first outpatients appointment has remained reasonably constant over the past year, this should be seen in the context of the ever increasing demand for appointments. There were almost 10,000 more patients seen as outpatients compared to the previous year.

Concluding, the Minister also emphasised the need to build on the progress achieved to date and reduce still further the length of time people wait for their treatment:

"Today’s figures are another very welcome step in the right direction but I am fully committed to delivering further improvements. I have set targets for the year ahead which will ensure that no patient has to wait more than 18 months for treatment by March 2005, and no more than 15 months by March 2006," said the Minister.

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