South Tyneside and Sunderland patients getting fast access to planned NHS care
More than three quarters of patients across South Tyneside and Sunderland are now getting the planned treatment they need much sooner.
The latest NHS national figures published for March 2026 show thousands more patients across the North East and North Cumbria have been able to access treatment sooner.
At South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust (STSFT), 77% of people are now getting their planned treatment within 18 weeks. This is after their GP refers them on for further care.
This puts the Trust above the average for the rest of the region (72%) and well above the national average for the whole NHS (63.5%).
For the past six months, STSFT has also consistently been the 3rd performing Trust in the whole of England. This means people who live in South Tyneside and Sunderland are getting some of the fastest access to planned care anywhere in the NHS.
STSFT has been finding new ways of working more efficiently. It has brought in new digital systems to help book appointments quickly, is using the latest technology in treatments and has added to its diagnostic machines, so more people can be seen for their scans or tests.
Across the NHS, the waiting list now stands at the lowest in three and a half years and has been reduced by half a million people (515,000) since July 2024.
Alison King, Director of Performance at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“We know that access to care is still the biggest priority for people when it comes to the NHS and these stats show how we are doing from a hospital perspective when people need a planned operation or procedure.
“This is good news for people in South Tyneside and Sunderland because it means we are seeing them faster for their treatment, with less time for their condition to get worse and a quicker recovery.
“Our teams work tirelessly to make sure people get their planned care quickly and they have done this whilst managing through some very busy periods for the NHS. I want to acknowledge their efforts, day-in, day-out and say thank you for everything they do.”
As the NHS looks to a more digital future, STSFT is already leading the way using technology to automate admin processes to sort through GP referrals for planned care.
The Trust is using Robotic Process Automation (RPA) software robots, known as ‘digital workers’, to handle referrals made by GPs more efficiently and save staff time. It means referrals are now available for review by clinical teams within 48 hours of being made by a GP, and in many cases, within 24 hours.
Alison added:
“As we look to the future, we want patients to have greater certainty about when they will be seen and technology is key to this. Our automated digital workers are just one aspect of this.
“We also want to improve the way people can access information about their care and how they interact with us via the NHS app.”
