Strike action hits hospital waiting list plan

The Royal Stoke Hospital run by the trust

A hospital trust's bid to eliminate its 18-month waiting list has been hampered by strike action, according to one of its bosses.

University Hospitals of North Midlands had hoped to bring the list of patients waiting 78 weeks for treatment to zero.

Simon Evans, chief operating officer, told a board meeting last week that staff had made substantial progress.

But he said this had been slowed by a series of walkouts by members of the British Medical Association as part of an ongoing dispute with the government over pay.

The trust runs the Royal Stoke and County Hospitals, where industrial action resulted in some routine treatment being postponed.

There were 145 people who had been waiting more than 78 weeks in January, with 888 people on the same waiting list in January 2023.

"Unfortunately we’ve had industrial action in both January and February which has meant reductions in our capacity in key specialities," Mr Evans said.

"We’ve had to focus on clinical urgency and emergency care at the cost of not being able to run as much planned care activity."

The trust declared a critical incident on two separate occasions in January and February this year.

The move was made to allow medics at Royal Stoke and County Hospitals maintain safety after "severe and sustained pressure".

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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