Health and care teams across the North West region are already responding to the national drive to recover services and reduce waiting lists that have built up as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Dr David Levy who is the regional medical director for the NHS.

The NHS and government have set out a blueprint to address backlogs with a massive expansion in capacity for tests, checks and treatments.

The plan will also give patients greater control over their own health and offer greater choice of where to get care if they are waiting too long for treatment.

Dr Levy said: “We know the pandemic had a disproportionate impact on the North West. We entered the pandemic from a challenging starting point, with the worst life expectancy in England, and some of the greatest health inequalities. We were also already seeing significant increases in the demand for our health services with A&E attendances rising markedly year-on-year, as well as increases in demand for GP appointments, cancer referrals, and mental health admissions.

“We have some promising initiatives across the North West, with £210 million investment in capital projects over the next three years, which will have an impact.  Our teams are doing all they can to increase capacity to treat more people than ever before”.

The NHS is planning to increase its capacity to deliver more procedures and scans in each of the next three years, to around nine million more tests and checks by 2025.  The North West currently has 15 Community Diagnostic Hubs identified, which are in addition to existing diagnostic services.

New surgical hubs are being developed, such as the two being put in place at Broadgreen and Clatterbridge hospital sites which open in May and will have capacity to treat 8000 local patients. The hubs will treat a range of conditions including Orthopaedics and Urology and will allow patients to be treated by their consultants in these newly built facilities.

Dr Sinead Clarke is the Strategic Clinical Lead for this scheme and a GP by background.  She said: “These hubs will enable our clinicians to treat patients who have been waiting over a year for elective surgery, which is great for our local population”.

Dr Levy added: “As we move out of the Omicron wave the NHS staff are applying the same determination we have displayed throughout the pandemic, to address backlogs in routine care that have inevitably built up, and reduce long waits.

“That cannot happen overnight but we are determined to make the best possible use of the additional investment and take the best from our pandemic response, including smarter use of digital care and flexible working between teams and trusts, while building this additional diagnostic capacity that will help to accelerate progress.

“As we have always said throughout the pandemic, it is vitally important that anybody who has health needs continues to come forward, so that staff can help you with the best options for your care.”