Waiting time success

Hospital staff in Norwich and Cromer have been praised for delivering major improvements in waiting times for patients that have seen maximum waiting times for treatment reduced to six months.

The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust met its December landmark waiting time targets of all patients now waiting six months or less for treatment and all out-patients waiting 13 weeks or less for their first appointment.  

The latest figures also show that 80 per cent of patients being treated by the Trust's hospitals now wait three months for treatment. Success with waiting times has been complemented by continued delivery of the four-hour A&E waiting time targets and the two week target for cancer referrals.

In April 2005 there were 574 patients waiting more than six months for routine treatment and there were 830 patients waiting more than 13 weeks for their first out-patient appointment.

The success with waiting times follows the news last month that the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital was judged by the independent Dr Foster Hospital Guide as among the top three in the country and the best in the East of England. The Trust is also continuing to combat MRSA infection. The Trust's hospitals currently have the lowest MRSA rates of any hospital in Norfolk and Suffolk.

Chief executive Paul Forden said: “The NHS targets are challenging and rightly so as it is public money we are spending. It is tough going and our staff have done tremendously well to get to this point and they deserve recognition for their achievements. It's easy to forget that only a few years ago people were waiting approaching two years for treatment and the vast majority of our routine patients are now waiting just three months.”