Leigh and Atherton MP – Jo Platt – met with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care – to discuss the progress of reducing NHS waiting lists in Leigh and Atherton.
Waiting times will be reduced through the ‘Further Faster’ programme, which is is a targeted approach to cutting waiting lists. A pilot scheme was launched in September 2024, where top doctors were sent to support hospital trusts in areas where more people are out of work and waiting for treatment.
Data shows that a total of 37,000 cases have been removed from the waiting lists for those trusts involved in the scheme – averaging almost 2,000 patients per local trust – so this will now be rolled out nationally.
Jo Platt said: “It was great to meet up with Wes Streeting – the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care – to discuss the progress of reducing NHS waiting lists.
“We discussed the picture locally – in Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust – and how the ‘Further Faster’ programme is set to be rolled out nationally – and could reduce waiting times in Leigh and Atherton.”
Other plans to increase elective care productivity and to cut waiting lists include:
- Opening community diagnostic centres 12 hours a day, 7 days per week
- Revolutionising the NHS App so patients can receive test results and book appointments
- Increasing use of the independent sector to improve patient choice