University Hospitals Sussex delivers reduction in NHS waiting lists
University Hospitals Sussex (UHSussex) has delivered by far the biggest absolute reduction in waiting list numbers in the entire NHS.
In fact, the reduction achieved by UHSussex accounted for nearly one-fifth of England’s total reduction in 2024.
In the 12 months to December 2024, the national waiting list reduced by 1.9%, from 7.6 million to 7.5 million people. Over the same period, UHSussex reduced its waiting list by 18.5%, from around 149,000 to 121,500. This reduction of 27,500 patients is 19.1% of the total reduction achieved in England last year.
UHSussex was created on the 1st of April 2021
Overnight it became one of the largest Trusts in the country, serving more than one million patients from its seven hospitals in Sussex, satellite sites and various community services.
Its development as a new Trust has been slowed by the longer-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the NHS, as well as issues inherited from its predecessor organisations, including an investigation into historic claims of medical negligence at the Royal Sussex County Hospital between 2015 and 2021.
However, despite challenges remaining, chief executive Dr George Findlay is confident the new Trust is beginning to deliver upon its huge potential and is keen to recognise the achievements of his 20,000 colleagues improving care for patients.
“Our teams are working extraordinarily hard, into evenings and weekends, to see as many patients as safely and swiftly as possible.
“Last year, they provided 131,000 more outpatient appointments compared to 2023, and 16,000 more day-case and inpatient operations. As a result, we’re currently we’re seeing nearly a fifth more people in our hospitals than we were before the pandemic and we’re reducing waiting times every month.
“But colleagues aren’t just working harder – they’re working smarter too. We’ve introduced new services, improved our data quality, and worked closely with other providers with the capacity to see some patients more quickly.”
Dr George Findlay, Chief Executive - UHSussex
Read more about this achievement, NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) improvement programme, and further comments from Dr George Findlay.