NEARLY 300 patients have been waiting more than a year for treatment at the trust that runs south Cumbria's hospitals, according to the latest figures.

Official figures show there are nearly 32,000 outstanding treatments at the Morecambe Bay NHS trust.

Of those, 296 have been waiting more than a year. 

Trust bosses have emphasised that its waiting lists are not as bloated as other areas of the country but have spelled out how they are tackling the current backlog.

The figures, shared by NHS England, showed that 70.2 per cent of patients were waiting fewer than 18 weeks when the NHS operational standard is 92 per cent.

Scott McLean, Chief Operating Officer, UHMBT, explained the situation.

"We know that in some areas, patients are waiting too long for their treatment, and our teams are working incredibly hard to ensure we see those waiting as soon as possible," he said.

"Our Trust has the lowest number of patients waiting over 52 weeks across Lancashire and South Cumbria; and is in the top third across the country for those waiting under 52 weeks. 

"That said, we recognise that any wait for treatment can cause anxiety amongst patients, so we continue to do all we can to see patients as soon as we can - including prioritising appointments according to clinical need, holding additional clinics, and working with partners to offer treatment at other locations where appropriate and agreed with the patient."

The trust ranks first out in 11 similar hospitals in the country for its waiting times according to the data.

Nationally in August 2024, the waiting list stood at 7,643,214 outstanding treatments, consisting of around 6,333,854 individual patients waiting for treatment in England.

The Government recently announced a £22.6 billion increase in day-to-day spending and £3.1 billion capital boost for the Department for Health and Social Care from 2023/24 to 2025/26, which it said would reduce waiting times and 'rebuild the NHS'.

Health secretary Wes Streeting said: "Through our 10-Year Health Plan we will cut waiting lists, reduce waiting times and get the health service delivering for patients and staff once again."