Waiting well and waiting times

Helpful information and guidance for patients waiting for a hospital consultation, treatment or surgery.

Waiting well

When waiting for surgery or an appointment, we encourage our patients to use this opportunity to 'wait well' by maintaining their physical and mental health. To help you do this, we have put together a list of helpful local and national resources.

I would like to improve or maintain my physical health

Getting yourself in shape before your procedure is important, as it will positively impact on how well your procedure goes and your recovery afterwards.

I live in Wakefield

Sport and leisure - Find out about the leisure centres in Wakefield, programmes, health initiatives and more.

Walking - Learn more about the walking routes and types of walking available in the Wakefield District.

I live in Kirklees

Kirklees Wellness Service - The service aims for people living healthier, happier lives and feeling more able to look after themselves.

MY Therapy exercise videos

Here are a series of exercise videos made by the MY Therapy Community Rehabilitation Team to help keep you active and healthy - whatever your level of ability. You may want to work your way through all three videos gradually as you are able to, or stick to the one that suits your needs.

Low level exercise plan

Intermediate level exercise plan

Advanced level exercise plan

Video transcripts:

Low Level Exercise Plan [docx] 15KB

Intermediate Level Exercise Plan [docx] 16KB

Advanced Level Exercise Plan [docx] 16KB

I would like support with housing and finance

I live in West Yorkshire

Safe and well visits - A free service offered by West Yorkshire Fire Service, in which firefighters or dedicated prevention officers visit members of the community in their own homes.

I live in Wakefield

Wakefield and District Housing - Social housing provider with over 32,000 homes across the Wakefield district and the north of England.

I live in Kirklees

Housing and homelessness - Housing and homelessness information from Kirklees Council.

Useful information for Mid Yorkshire patients

At Mid Yorkshire, we have provided you with information to help you stay healthy while waiting to attend hospital. This should be read in conjunction with the specialty level guidance appropriate for your condition.

We will aim to provide you with a date for your procedure as soon as possible. We are committed to making your experience before, during and after your procedure as pleasant and safe as we can.

In turn, we would like patients on our waiting lists to help themselves to ensure you have the best possible outcome, and that means preparing your mind and body by using lifestyle changes, where necessary.

You can find lots of useful information below on how you can make some lifestyle changes to support you as well as access some tools that will help you.

You can also find out more about appointments and procedures at Mid Yorkshire.

Fitter Better Sooner - information and ideas about preparing for your operation/procedure

Improve your general health

There are many changes you can make to reduce the risks of a procedure. Even small changes can make a big difference.

Before your procedure, you can make a big difference to your health and wellbeing in four different ways depending on your age. Why not take this time to commit to some of the following changes.

Everyone can:

Set time daily for physical exercise to get the blood and oxygen flowing around your body. Getting fitter before your procedure will help you recover quicker.
Eat a healthy balanced diet to help to give your body the energy it needs after an operation.
Take time to relax, your mental wellbeing is just as important as your physical side.

Adults can:

Drink less alcohol and improve your health by stopping smoking, this will reduce your risk of infection and make a big difference to your body before surgery.

Children can:

Cut down on foods and drinks that lead to tooth decay. Healthy teeth are important when having a procedure, to keep you safe.

Taking your medication

If you take regular medication, please follow the instructions you were given when it was prescribed to ensure that you stay well. Your doctor or pharmacist will be happy to answer any questions you have about your medication.

If you have been given specific advice during or after your pre-operative assessment to stop any medications before you attend hospital for your procedure, please follow this advice. The pre-operative team will be happy to answer any questions about specific advice you may have been given during your pre-operative assessment.

Waiting times at Mid Yorkshire

Average wait times at Mid Yorkshire can be viewed on the NHS My Planned Care website. You can select the specialty you have been referred to or are under the care of from a list provided. Please be aware that these are averages times and so some patients will wait longer.

View average wait times at Mid Yorkshire