New Sussex waiting times tool launched to support patient choice

The new waiting times facility is designed to support people at the point of referral by showing the latest average waiting times, in weeks, for a routine first outpatient appointment.

Building on national tools such as the NHS e-Referral System and My Planned Care, the Sussex tool provides locally tailored information that makes it easier for patients to make informed choices about where they receive their care.

The facility is simple to use, includes an accessible dropdown menu to support people using screen readers, and will be updated every month.

This development is part of wider efforts across the local health and care system to improve access and reduce waiting times. Over the past year, the NHS in Sussex reduced the total patient waiting list for all procedures by 9% compared with the previous year. The number of people waiting more than 65 weeks for treatment has also fallen sharply – from more than 6,500 patients in 2023 to 529 patients by March 2025.

Chief Medical Officer for NHS Sussex, Dr James Ramsay, said:

"We know that waiting for treatment can be worrying, and that people want clear information to help them make choices about their care.

"As part of our approach to reduce the time people are waiting for care across Sussex, this new waiting times tool makes it easier for patients and their GPs to see how long they may need to wait and to make decisions that work best for them. This is another step forward in our ongoing work to improve access to planned care for people across Sussex, including maximising capacity of theatres and hospital teams, new facilities such as the Community Diagnostic Centres and the new Sussex Surgical Centre in Eastbourne."

The waiting times facility is available now on the NHS Sussex website and will be refreshed with updated data each month.