THE James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was today celebrating its success in reducing waiting times for patients. Figures out this month show a dramatic reduction in waiting times for patients who are seen in clinics and admitted to the hospital.

THE James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was today celebrating its success in reducing waiting times for patients.

Figures out this month show a dramatic reduction in waiting times for patients who are seen in clinics and admitted to the hospital.

In March 2007 30pc of inpatients were admitted within 18 weeks but this had increased to 87pc this year.

During the same period the number of outpatients seen within 18 weeks had grown from 50pc to 90pc.

Julie Cave, director of finance and performance at the trust, said: “This is a fantastic success story and really excellent news for our patients. In just one year, our patients are waiting for much less time that they were in Spring 2007.”

She continued: “This achievement is down to the commitment and dedication of all our staff who have worked hard to drive down waiting times. From the administration teams through to the medical and nursing teams, and all our support services, everyone plays a part.

“Delivering waiting times of 18 weeks for our patients has given us the opportunity to review how we work and to share ideas across the organisation for best practice. We have also reduced waiting times for all our diagnostic services including X-ray, CT, MRI scans and cardiac measurement. This has helped to increase the speed we can see people.”

The 18-week wait is one of the key NHS targets that every Trust must deliver for all patients by December 2008.

The target includes all stages of the patient journey from initial GP (or other clinician) referral to treatment, through a range of diagnostic procedures and outpatient appointments to reach a diagnosis and a decision to treat. To ensure that trusts meet the December 2008 deadline, they had to achieve the following targets by the end of March:

85pc of admitted patients will have had treatment within 18 weeks

90pc of non-admitted patients will have had treatment within 18 weeks.

The James Paget University Hospitals met both these targets, very good news for local patients.

“Waiting for an operation or an appointment can be a very anxious time. Waiting for less time makes it a little easier for patients and their families. We will continue to work hard to maintain and reduce further these waiting times for all our patients,” said Ms Cave.