Bosses at Shropshire’s orthopaedic hospital say significant progress is being made in how quickly patients are being treated.

Under Department of Health rules, patients in England must be treated within 18 weeks of their referral.

The Orthopaedic Hospital, in Gobowen, has failed to achieve that target in recent years and an action plan was put in place to address the problem.

Wendy Farrington Chadd, hospital chief executive, said today the move was paying off, with more than 50 per cent of patients receiving treatment within the 18-week time limit in June.

At the start of the year, less than 25 per cent of patients were being treated within the timescale.

And she said the hospital was on target to treat all patients within the 18-week time limit by December.

Mrs Farrington Chadd said: “It’s particularly encouraging and the staff have done really well.

“We recognise the staff are working hard, especially with the additional activity we are putting through.

“There’s quite a buzz around the place.

“We are extremely busy and we have high occupancy on the wards.”

She said treating more patients and improving the tracking of patients’ waiting times had led to the improvements.

Mrs Farrington Chadd also revealed a reconfiguration of services on the hospital’s Ercall Ward was now complete.