Waiting lists at Mid Cheshire Hospitals, affecting Crewe and Nantwich residents have fallen in January, amidst the backdrop of huge pressure on local services over the winter months. 

Data released this March saw national waiting lists in the UK fall by 43,000 in January, representing a fall of 374,000 over the past 18 months. 

Across Mid Cheshire Hospitals, waiting lists fell from 39,570 to 37,395 from December 2025 to January 2026. 

Waiting times at A&E are at their shortest for four years, and ambulance response times are the fastest for half a decade. 

Waits for patients with heart attacks and stroke are down to less than 29 minutes on average. 

The progress comes against the backdrop of 2025 being the NHS's busiest ever year.

A&E attendances last year reached 27.8 million, up by 367,000 on 2024, with 2.33 million attendances in December alone.   

Labour MP for Crewe and Nantwich, Connor Naismith, with Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting (Photo: Supplied).

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Labour MP for Crewe and Nantwich, Connor Naismith, said: "NHS staff in Crewe and Nantwich are working tirelessly to deliver the best results for patients, despite huge demand on services. 

"Labour is turning our NHS around, with record investment, modernisation of services, and the Elective Reform Plan, more patients are receiving a faster diagnosis, quicker treatment, or getting the all-clear sooner." 

In the year since the Elective Reform Plan was launched, Labour says it has created more evening and weekend clinics, as well as new and expanded community diagnostic centres and surgical hubs.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, said:  "After years of rising waiting times, patients are finally starting to see things move in the right direction , with waiting lists at their lowest level for almost three years and more people getting treated within 18 weeks.   

"Despite record demand this winter, A&E and ambulance services improved, meaning patients are getting help faster when they need it most, thanks to the hard work of NHS staff, better planning and modernisation.   

"But we won't take our foot off the gas. We'll keep cutting waiting times, backing NHS staff and making sure patients get the high-quality care they deserve. Only Labour will fix our NHS."