MID and South Essex NHS Trust has set out plans to cut lengthy waiting times and tackle growing patient backlogs across the region.

Currently, some patients are waiting more than 52 weeks for planned care.

The trust – which includes Basildon, Southend and Broomfield hospitals – says reducing these delays is a key priority as part of a wider programme to improve services and patient experience.

The trust is also targeting a reduction in its 62-day cancer treatment backlog, which stood at 527 patients in April. A revised target has been set to bring that figure down to 350.

Overall, around 170,000 people are on waiting lists across Mid and South Essex. The trust aims to reduce this by more than 30,000 over the next year through a range of measures.

The plans were outlined by Fiona Ryan, managing director for Southend Hospital, during a Health and Scrutiny Committee meeting at Southend Council.

She said the trust is working closely with NHS partners to address the scale of demand and ensure patients are receiving timely care.

"We are working collectively alongside ICB partners and focusing on reducing the volume of waiting lists," she said. "There are a number of schemes under way to make sure the right patients are waiting for the right services."

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Mid and South Essex has also been included in the National Provider Improvement Programme, which supports underperforming trusts to identify challenges and accelerate improvements. Acting director Katy Goodwin will oversee this work over the next 12 months.

Alongside reducing waiting times, the trust is focusing on improving quality and safety standards, as well as strengthening its financial position.

Ms Ryan added: "The key improvement programmes are the building blocks of what we need to do as an acute hospital trust, which are all relevant for all delivery locations including Southend, which is obviously my primary responsibility.

"We know waiting for treatment or surgery is difficult for people, so we are working to reduce the Trust's total waiting list by over 30,000 in the coming year.

"We will do this in several ways, including bringing in more appointments and treatments to support patients.

"We are improving how we review patients waiting on the list and working with community services to see patients outside of hospital.

"This work forms part of our continued improvement plan to help reduce our waiting lists, which also sees us working closely with NHS England and our local health partners."