With Covid cases declining further at Newcastle 's hospitals, the focus is once again on tackling the huge backlog of people waiting for elective hospital procedures in the city.
The latest figures show the number of patients with Covid-19 on wards at the Freeman and the RVI has dropped steadily since mid-January.
Government data shows that on February 1 there were 57 Covid-positive patients there, while chief exec Dame Jackie Daniel has revealed there are "now around 50".
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Writing online, Dame Jackie also said that staff absence had - as is the case at hospitals around the area - fallen too. It's down to around 7% from peak closer to 12% in mid-January.
Dame Jackie said: "I’m pleased to say that the number of patients in our hospitals with coronavirus continues to reduce and is now around 50 patients.
"The numbers of staff absent has also reduced from a peak of 12% to just over 7% this week. Thank you to everyone who has worked flexibly and taken on additional hours to get us through this period."
The NHS boss - who last week said educating staff about vaccines was "a much better approach" than a mandating them - added now the time was to work on reducing the time people have been waiting for operations.
She said: "Our attention will increasingly turn to reducing our backlog of planned operations and procedures and we know it will take months and years before this is fully addressed. Our first priority is to focus on the longest waiters, particularly the 250 people who have waited over 104 weeks and over 4,000 who have waited over 52 weeks for their operations.
"Many of those waiting a long time need particularly complex procedures which can only be provided at a tertiary centre like Newcastle, and I’m grateful to the directorate and operational teams who are working through the details to support each patient as quickly as possible."
And looking back more than two years after the RVI received its first Covid-19 patients, she said: "I would raise a glass to you – our staff – for what you have achieved. Your positivity and perseverance has been remarkable and I couldn’t be more proud."
Dame Jackie has also again highlighted the need for a "long-term workforce plan" for the NHS. She's previously raised this and said the Government need to support the NHS with more than just cash.
Now she added: "The need for a long-term workforce plan which supports, encourages and nurtures staff is more important than ever and that is something that I raise with NHS leaders and politicians whenever I get the chance."
In Newcastle, waiting list data from November shows 4,595 people who've spent over a year on waiting lists for treatment at the city hospitals though - and 227 of those have been waiting more than two.
