NHS Cheshire and Merseyside July 2024 Blog
Thursday, 11 July 2024
Like me, I’m sure you will have followed the recent UK General Election with interest.
We are very much looking forward to working positively and constructively with our new and returning MPs, to continue our mission to deliver better health and care outcomes for the people of Cheshire and Merseyside and ensure the best possible services are available when needed.
A five-day junior doctors’ strike concluded on 2 July. I would like to thank staff for their tremendous hard work and commitment to prioritising urgent and emergency care during this challenging period.
Ultimately, NHS pay is a matter for the Government and trade unions and, while we continue to the respect the right of NHS staff to take action, we remain hopeful that a resolution can be found soon.
This month marked the NHS's 76th birthday, but also the two-year anniversary of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside.
We are proud of what we’ve achieved in our first two years - for example, Cheshire and Merseyside was the first, and is currently one of only three (of 42) Integrated Care Systems, to be re-achieving (post-COVID) the national waiting list target for 90% of patients to receive a diagnostic test within six weeks. You can read about the recent opening of a new diagnostic centre in Wirral below.
We are also making great strides in delivering against the Primary Care Access Recovery Plan, with GP practices in Cheshire and Merseyside now delivering quarter of a million more monthly appointments than they did before the pandemic.
More on that below, along with a round-up of other positive news and important healthcare updates from our system.
Finally, you will no doubt have followed the recent conclusion of the Lucy Letby retrial - with the former neonatal nurse found guilty of a further attempted murder charge.
My thoughts, and the thoughts of everyone at NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, are with the children at the heart of this case and their families and loved ones.
Graham Urwin - Chief Executive