Local NHS waiting lists are down, as are numbers waiting over six weeks for tests

NHS waiting lists in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes are getting shorter, with over 2,000 fewer people waiting for treatment in November 2023 than in the previous month.

New figures published recently by NHS England show that a record 1.63 million patients began treatment in England in November 2023, with more than 2.3 million diagnostic tests undertaken in the same period.

Locally, there were 140,898 people who had been referred but were waiting for treatment at the end of November, representing a fall of 1.42% from the end of October (142,930).

There was further good news, with a smaller percentage of patients in Bedfordshire, Luton in Milton Keynes waiting longer than six weeks to have their diagnostic test (37.79% in November 2023, compared with 38.99% in October 2023).  Overall, 36,099 diagnostic tests took place in the local area in November, compared with 36,271 in October (NB: 31 days in October; 30 days in November).

This means that NHS services in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes are currently carrying out over 2,000 more diagnostic tests per month than before the COVID-19 pandemic (33,856 in November 2019).

Felicity Cox, chief executive officer of Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, said:

“I welcome these figures, which show that our NHS colleagues have been working harder and have seen more patients than before.  The drop in waiting lists is especially welcome, as we know that the gap between referral and treatment can be a stressful time for patients and their families.

“Of course there is lots more to do, but everyone in the NHS is working hard to provide the best care we can, even in this incredibly busy winter period.  Our dedicated staff continue to work incredibly hard to serve the people in our area and get waiting lists down further.”