Hospital 'one of the best performing' in country

A Surrey hospital has become one of the best performing in the country after improving patient waiting times and reducing its overall waiting lists.

Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust which runs East Surrey Hospital in Redhill said it had significantly increased the number of patients being treated within the NHS target of 18 weeks putting it amongst the top 10 trusts for elective improvement, its best performance since the pandemic

Elective care covers a broad range of planned and non-emergency services including surgery and cancer treatment.

Trust chief executive, Andrew Hines, said reducing elective and outpatient waiting times "is one of our key priorities."

The trust said it had increased the number of patients being treated within 18 weeks from 55% to 67% in 2025-26, the highest level achieved in recent years.

In the same year the trust said it had also reduced its overall waiting list by 14%, which was "more than 7,000 patients, reversing post-pandemic growth and strengthening its position for further recovery".

Hines said the hospital's teams had worked hard to deliver the results particularly in the trust's outpatient services.

"New ways of working and closer collaboration with our partners is helping us see more patients and improve access," he said.

"While this year's improvements are a significant step forward, we recognise there is still more to do, especially in reducing the longest waits and improving our diagnostic performance.

"We have started the year with a strong momentum, and I look forward to seeing how we can build on this progress in the months ahead."

The trust said it had expanded patient-initiated follow-ups, which allowed patients to arrange follow-up care when they need it rather than attending routine appointments.

In a statement it said: "Over the past year, the use of these patient initiated follow ups has tripled, almost reaching the national target level set by NHS England.

"The approach helps to free up clinic capacity for new patients, reduce waiting times for first appointments, and as a result improve the overall patient experience."

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