NHS teams across the North West are being praised for their role in delivering a landmark year for elective care, as new national figures published today show the NHS performed its highest ever number of surgeries, tests, checks and elective appointments in a single financial year.

The results come as NHS England publishes its latest operational performance statistics, which show 65.3% of patients nationally were seen within 18 weeks over the past year, as the waiting list fell by over 312,000 last year, the largest year-on-year reduction in 16 years.

This is a significant milestone in the drive to tackle the elective backlog built up in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Michael Gregory, Regional Medical Director for NHS England in the North West, said: “These figures are testament to the extraordinary effort of NHS staff right across the North West. Every number in these statistics represents a real person who has had their operation, received their test result, or been seen by a specialist. That matters enormously.

“We have made real progress, but we are under no illusions that there is still more to do. The innovation we are seeing at places like the Trafford Elective Surgical Hub, and the commitment we are seeing from trusts like East Lancashire Hospitals, gives me genuine confidence that we are moving in the right direction.”

Across the North West, NHS providers have contributed substantially to that national picture, with hospitals and surgical hubs in Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside, and Lancashire and South Cumbria all reporting improvements in waiting list size and patient flow.

One of the most significant developments in the region has been the growth of the Trafford Elective Surgical Hub (TESH), run by Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), to tackle long waits for planned care. Launched in late 2022, the hub now carries out around 250 procedures a week and helps protect elective surgery from emergency pressures and last-minute cancellations.

TESH also supports cancer pathways by moving suitable planned cancer activity into a dedicated elective setting, freeing specialist capacity at other MFT sites. Over the past year, the trust has delivered a 12% improvement in patients being seen within 18 weeks of referral, while reducing its overall waiting list by more than 26,000 patients (14%). The number of patients waiting over 52 weeks has also fallen by almost 7,000 (which is a reduction of 81.9%).

TESH has used DNAPredict since August 2025, a tool that helps predict whether patients are likely to attend their outpatient appointment. A quick check-in call has cut missed appointments significantly, helping an additional 10 patients a month get treated on time.

In cardiology within the same Trust, “Super Saturday” clinics and changes including more advice and guidance, straight-to-test pathways and standardised clinic templates have helped cut waits. The number of patients waiting more than a year fell by 46% between September 2025 and February 2026, with 776 fewer people waiting more than 18 weeks.

In gastroenterology, an enhanced triage pilot has reduced the proportion of referrals converting into hospital appointments from around 95% to 43%, directing more people to the right care first time, freeing up clinic capacity and helping to bring down waiting lists in their clinics.

In Lancashire, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) is one of the region’s strongest performers on elective care. By adding extra clinical sessions and investing in additional resources, the Trust is cutting long waits and improving patient flow.

ELHT’s approach streamlines pathways and makes better use of clinical time, theatre space and outpatient capacity, including through the outpatient national sprint initiative.

Teams are running more high-volume, low-complexity theatre lists (including procedures such as carpal tunnel), supported by a surgical hub model. They are also using procedure rooms for simpler work, such as knee injections, and filling cancelled slots more quickly so theatre time is not wasted.

These changes are delivering results. The number of patients waiting more than 52 weeks fell from 2,598 in April 2025 to 329 by March 2026. Performance against the 18-week standard is now 70%, and the Trust is regularly ranked in the top quartile nationally for theatre productivity.

Elsewhere, North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust and Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are also cutting waiting lists through targeted investment and redesign of services.

At Halton Hospital in Runcorn, North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust has invested in its elective and diagnostic capacity, including £9.2m of Targeted Investment Funding. The funding is increasing theatre capacity, opening a day case unit, supporting the Cheshire and Merseyside Endoscopy Hub and completing the final phase of the community diagnostic centre (CDC) which opened last July.

In September 2025, the Trust opened a Gynaecology One Stop Clinic, offering assessment, diagnosis and where appropriate treatment in a single visit for patients with symptoms that could indicate endometrial cancer. More than 600 patients have been seen since launch, with consistently positive feedback.

Meanwhile, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL) is using its two accredited surgical hubs – Wrightington Hospital and Leigh Infirmary – to boost elective capacity for patients from not just the Wigan Borough, but also Greater Manchester and across the wider North West. The Trust is treating around 400 patients a week through dedicated elective lists.

Wrightington Hospital is recognised as a leader in efficient, high quality Orthopeadic surgery. This year, WWL has worked hard to halve the length of stay for hip and knee surgery patients, meaning they are discharged home and recover more quickly. Wrightington Hospital is also embracing robotics to support surgery with a second robot (VELYS) implemented this year for knee replacements alongside its existing MAKO robot and is hoping to continue robotic expansion in the future.

At Leigh Infirmary, a new one-stop hernia pathway for patients with less complex needs has helped more than 120 people so far, with a further 100 now waiting for surgery. Optical services are also being developed to support a high-volume, low-complexity cataract pathway, allowing opticians to book patients directly into a one-stop clinic.

This week also marks WWL’s Hub Optimisation Week at its two surgical hubs. The week will enable teams to test new processes to help maximise the number of patients being seen, as well as showcasing new surgical approaches and techniques. The two teams are aiming to see another 55 patients across both Surgical Hubs, 15% above the average, by preparing all stages thoroughly in advance and increasing staffing on the day to ensure everything runs smoothly.

In Cheshire and Merseyside cancer waiting times have hit two important targets, the Faster Diagnosis Standard and the 62-day wait. At the heart of the achievement is the Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance which brings together organisations, patients and others affected by cancer to drive improvements in clinical outcomes and patients’ experience of the care and treatment they receive.