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32 minutes ago Henry Godfrey-Evans, Essex and Naomi Greenaway, Local Democracy Reporter Service Stuart Woodward/BBC Southend University Hospital is run by Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust A hospital has been making a "good bit of progress" on its patient waiting list backlog, according to the site's chief executive. Southend University Hospital said additional theatre slots, regular checks on whether patients still required treatment and greater use of technology have improved its waiting times. More than 50,000 patients are still waiting for an appointment or treatment there despite the backlog across Mid and South Essex NHS Trusts' three sites falling by about 14,000 in the past year.
Fiona Ryan, the hospital's chief executive, told Southend-on-Sea City Council's Health Scrutiny Committee there was still "a long way to go" and about 9,000 patients joined the list every month. On Tuesday, the authority's committee heard that about 40,000 outpatient appointments took place each month at Southend Hospital, alongside about 11,000 procedures, inpatient and day-case treatments. Ryan said: "We are starting to see that reduction in the waiting list but lots of work [is] needed to further get it into a balanced position." PA Media Southend Hospital is located in Westcliff-on-Sea Southend Hospital is part of the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which also runs Basildon Hospital and Broomfield Hospital.
The trust has previously been ranked the worst in England for starting cancer treatment within 62 days of referral. Southend Hospital's 50,000-plus waiting list made up almost a third of the 165,227 backlog across the wider trust in August. John Corrigan, a Reform UK councillor on the authority, suggested that some patients were being referred to Cora Health and effectively moved onto another waiting list.
Cora Health runs Mid and South Essex's specialist assessment and treatment for people with musculoskeletal and persistent pain. The trust responded that some treatment, such as physiotherapy and pain management, was more appropriate for community care and it wanted to save hospital visits for patients that need them. The trust acknowledged Cora Health had its own waiting list, but said the aim was to "give patients the right care the first time".
Southend Hospital said it was expanding patient-initiated follow-ups, allowing certain patients to request an appointment when they need one rather than on a schedule. Update 6 November: This article was amended to reflect the drop in backlog figure was 14,000 across all three of Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust hospitals, not solely Southend Hospital as previously reported. Do you have a story suggestion for Essex?
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Source: BBC
