Preston has seventh longest general surgery waiting times in the UK

Residents in the city wait an average of 45 weeks at NHS Trust hospitals, according to FROM MARS.

Preston scored just 3.27 out of 10 for healthcare due to having one hospital and one health clinic serving a population of 313,332. This equates to less than one hospital (0.96) per 100,000 people, landing the city in the 33rd spot for healthcare access in Britain.

Blackpool came in higher in 30th place, scoring 3.47 out of 10, despite having 0.60 hospitals per 100,000 people. This is because patients face a shorter wait time of 40 weeks for general surgery and have greater access to sexual health clinics.

With nine hospitals serving just shy of half a million people, Leeds topped the rankings.