Our teams play key role as South West hits one million operations milestone

Published: 13 February 2026

The NHS in the South West has delivered more than one million waiting list operations in a year for the first time – and our teams here in Torbay and South Devon have played an important part in achieving this regional milestone.

Across the South West, tens of thousands more people have received the treatment they had been waiting for, thanks to better use of theatre time, more day case surgery, and new digital technology. Many of these improvements reflect work already underway here.

Over the past year, we have increased the number of people treated as day cases, helping individuals get home sooner to recover in a place that feels familiar and safe, while freeing up inpatient beds for others who need them. Theatre productivity has also improved through a focused programme of work delivered with NHS England South West.

Our teams have strengthened the accuracy and efficiency of our waiting lists by investing in a dedicated in house validation team, supported by new digital tools. This work means people are contacted sooner, errors are reduced and fewer people Do Not Attend (DNAs).

Further improvements are being made for people waiting for outpatient appointments. Through the GIRFT (Getting it Right First Time) standardised clinic template programme, services in areas such as Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), Gastroenterology and Cardiology are offering more than 1,000 additional appointments this year. Our teams are also learning from high performing services elsewhere in the region and are actively working to match – and exceed – these improvements, so more people can be seen more quickly.

Work to strengthen core activity through better business planning has reduced reliance on costly insourcing models, ensuring more treatment is delivered to local people directly by local NHS teams. Our clinical services have also provided significant additional weekend work, helping reduce long waits for people who have often already been waiting many months for the care they need.

Digital tools are supporting more personalised and efficient pathways. The My Recovery app gives people clear information in the lead up to and following surgery, helping them feel prepared and reducing unnecessary appointments. This sits alongside wider use of remote monitoring and digital pathways that support people to stay well at home. With our new Electronic Patient Record going live this spring, further opportunities to reduce administrative burden and make safe use of automation and AI will follow.

These improvements all contribute to the region’s overall 2.6% productivity increase since April 2025 – well above the national improvement target. Most importantly, they translate directly into better, quicker care for people: every appointment created, every theatre list improved and every day case pathway redesigned represents a person getting the help they need sooner.

Joe Teape, Chief Executive, said: “I’m incredibly proud of what our teams have achieved. Behind every statistic is a person waiting for care, often living with pain, uncertainty or worry. This regional milestone reflects the skill, care and determination of colleagues here in Torbay and South Devon, who are constantly finding better ways to care for people. Whether it’s improving theatres, validating waiting lists, creating more outpatient appointments or supporting people through tools like My Recovery, their hard work is making a real and human difference. Thank you to every one of them.”

Dr Trevor Smith, Regional Medical Director for NHS England South West, added: “It’s fantastic to break the million mark for treating people on waiting lists. Staff have been working really hard to get us back to where we were before Covid, while introducing new systems and technologies to make the most of our capacity.”

In the December 2025 data for referral to treatment times Torbay and South Devon has the highest (best) referral to treatment time (18 weeks) in Devon at 67.5%. In Gastroenterology and Respiratory services over 85% of people referred were seen within 18 weeks; in Gastroenterology in half of cases people wait less than 5 weeks to be seen.