Dozens of patients are still waiting more than 18 months for planned hospital treatment at Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford – and one has waited more than two years for a procedure.

A national NHS target was set to eliminate waits of more than 18 months by April 2023 – but figures presented to the latest University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) NHS Trust board meeting revealed there were 127 patients who had passed the 78-week mark by the end of November.

One patient has waited more than 104 weeks (two years) for planned treatment, a report said. It added: "However, a date is booked and specialist equipment has a delivery date in January 2024.

"Patients waiting for 78 weeks or greater have continued to reduce although not the level desired. The largest single component to this waiting list is in orthopaedics and spinal services, where the initial waiting list was largest.

A national NHS target was set to eliminate waits of more than 18 months by April 2023 (SWNS).

"Much progress has been made in this service with input from the national GiRFT (Getting It Right First Time) teams, however in the last reporting period two consultant surgeons were unavailable as a result of sickness that unfortunately meant patients could not be operated on with the initially expected window. Without this element issue it is likely that there would have been almost no patients waiting 78 weeks for surgery."

The latest junior doctors' strike, which began on Wednesday (January 3) and is due to end today (January 9), has led to the cancellation of 38 planned procedures at UHNM, which runs Royal Stoke and Stafford's County Hospital. Patients facing waits of at least 78 weeks were not expected to be impacted by the industrial action, although it could affect those waiting 65 weeks or more.

Patients facing long waits for planned hospital treatment are being asked if their condition has deteriorated, members of the trust's board heard. The board report said: "The (Quality Governance) Committee felt that assurance could not be provided in respect of assessing retrospective or prospective levels of harm.

"An update on reviews of harm suffered by long waiters highlighted challenges to identify retrospective patients due to staffing capacity within the information team and a manual process was to commence in the interim. A question had also been issued to patients as part of long wait patient validation to assess any change in condition, the outputs of which were being utilised to assess clinical priority."

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