West Midlands hospitals making strong progress on national elective care waiting list targets

Hospitals across the West Midlands are demonstrating encouraging progress in reducing waiting lists for planned medical treatments, according to recently presented data. At a meeting of the NHS Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL) and NHS Black Country Joint ICB Cluster Board, figures showed both areas are performing well in meeting national elective care standards.

Elective care, which encompasses non-urgent but necessary medical procedures such as scans, outpatient appointments, cataract surgeries, and hip and knee replacements, remains a focus for improvement.

Data from June indicates both BSOL and Black Country trusts are well below the national threshold of having only one per cent of patients waiting more than 52 weeks for treatment. BSOL reported 0.7 per cent, while Black Country reported an even lower figure of 0.31 per cent.

In addition, both regions are working towards the national goal of having 70 per cent of patients seen within 18 weeks for elective treatments by March 2027. While BSOL saw a slight decrease from 67 per cent to 62 per cent in June compared to the previous month, the Black Country showed positive momentum, achieving 64.3 per cent.

Among individual trusts, performance varied but generally exceeded planned targets. Dudley Group Foundation Trust reached 65 per cent against a plan of 64.1 per cent. Sandwell and West Birmingham achieved 61.8 per cent, surpassing their 59.9 per cent target. Royal Wolverhampton Trust slightly edged above its planned 61.95 per cent, hitting 62 per cent, and Walsall Healthcare Trust met its higher monthly goal of 74.8 per cent.

Both NHS areas emphasised ongoing efforts to further reduce waiting lists, including regular progress reviews and targeted actions to maintain and improve performance.

This sustained focus reflects a commitment to providing timely elective care services to patients across the West Midlands.