Hospital removed 1,000 patients from waiting list 'retrospectively'

A hospital trust has removed more than 1,000 patients from its waiting list by retrospectively applying referral criteria, which local GPs have said is disruptive and unsafe.

In June, University Hospitals of North Midlands Trust switched its criteria for non-obstetric ultrasound back to a method it had previously used until it was widened in September last year.

The trust, which runs Royal Stoke University Hospital and Stafford County Hospital, recently announced its ultrasound list had dropped from more than 15,500 in June to 10,563 in October, gaining local media coverage for a “significant” performance improvement.

North Staffordshire local medical committee (LMC) told HSJ the trust was “misleading” the public as a significant amount of the cut was due to the retrospective change to criteria, which it also said was disruptive for patients and compromised their safety. GPs say some of the patients had already been waiting six months.

One local GP who spoke to HSJ anonymously said some of those delisted would need to be re-referred for an ultrasound or alternative test. They cited a referral for abdominal pain with suspected gallstones which was made in January 2025, then rejected in August. For many people, suspected gallstones are not a serious problem. However, complications can be serious and sometimes life-threatening, if it leads to a blocked bile duct.

The GP said: “It’s all good for the trust to say that there is no risk, but if we don’t know [who has been removed], how would we mitigate that?” The GP also questioned: “If we miss something, who is actually responsible?”

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Source: HSJ, 17 October 2025