Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL) is celebrating its part in making improvements for patients across the Wigan Borough, as new national figures show the NHS has delivered its highest-ever number of elective surgeries, tests and appointments.
The national waiting list has fallen by more than 312,000 people – the biggest annual drop in 16 years – with 65.3% of patients now seen within 18 weeks.
Locally, WWL’s two accredited surgical hubs – Wrightington Hospital and Leigh Infirmary – are playing a key role in this progress, treating around 400 patients every week from Wigan, Greater Manchester and the wider North West.
Prof. Sanjay Arya, WWL’s Chief Medical Officer, said: “I am incredibly proud of our teams, whose commitment and expertise continue to drive improvements across the region, and I would like to thank them all for their hard work and dedication. By scrutinising our patient pathways, embracing innovation and expanding our surgical hubs, we are delivering faster treatment, shorter recovery times and a better overall experience for the communities we serve.”
At Wrightington Hospital, a national centre of excellence for orthopaedic surgery, WWL has halved the length of stay for hip and knee replacement patients, helping people return home sooner and recover more comfortably. The hospital has also expanded its use of robotic assisted surgery, adding a second robot to support precision joint replacement.
Over at Leigh Infirmary a new one stop hernia pathway has been introduced that is already helping more than 120 patients, with a further 100 scheduled for surgery. Work is also underway to expand a streamlined cataract pathway, allowing opticians to book patients directly into one stop clinics to speed up treatment.
Last week, WWL ran a Hub Optimisation Week, which tested new processes and surgical techniques to increase capacity by a further 15%. The week also enabled teams to test new processes to help maximise the number of patients being seen, as well as showcasing new surgical approaches and techniques to demonstrate outstanding teamwork.