Staffordshire hospitals slash ultrasound waiting list
The number of patients waiting for an ultrasound test at Staffordshire’s main hospital trust has been slashed by 5,000 in just four months.
More than 15,500 people were waiting for a non-obstetric ultrasounds at University Hospitals North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) sites in June, but this figure has now fallen to just 10,563.
And the number of patients waiting longer than 13 weeks has been halved from 7,000 to 3,466. Ultrasound has accounted for the vast majority of long waits for diagnostic tests at UHNM, with some patients being driven to pay up to £300 in the private sector.
The trust is responsible for Stafford's County Hospital and the Royal Stoke University Hospital.
UHNM board members were told that there had been ‘significant’ progress in reducing the ultrasound waiting list since June. Chief operating officer Katy Thorpe explained that this was due to a number of factors, including increasing internal capacity, the use of the community diagnostic centre in Cannock and work with NHS partners to ensure only patients who actually need a test are put on the waiting list.
The trust has recruited to two vacant sonographer posts, and is also investing in training up its own staff. Ms Thorpe told the board that the sonographer positions were "really hard to fill posts", but said it was "fantastic" that the trust had managed to secure a new superintendent sonographer.
Trust chair Jackie Small welcomed the reduction in the waiting list but asked whether the improvement over the last few months could be maintained.
Ms Thorpe said: “As part of that recruitment campaign we have put in additional training posts in an attempt to try and resolve some of the difficulties we have in filling our sonography posts. So while we do have some experienced people coming in, we’re also training some of our own.”
Mr Thorpe added that the continued improvement would also be dependent on the opening of the new community diagnostic centre in Hanley next year.
Chief executive Simon Constable said: “Our capacity is only ever as good as our demand management, and we can never take our eye off the ball or else we’ll end up in the same situation again. So it’s about working with colleagues on the right tests at the right time, and ensuring those pathways are absolutely spot on.”
NHS campaigner Ian Syme welcomed the "substantial improvement" in diagnostic performance at UHNM, and said it was "no wonder" the backlog had grown to such an extent given the vacant posts.
He said: “It came to my attention that people were paying £300 privately for ultrasound tests. These aren’t people covered by company insurance – they’re people in Stoke-on-Trent who find it hard to put food on the table. So we’ve had a massive improvement.”
