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Showing results for tags 'Long waiting list'.
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News ArticleNew data has revealed patients waiting for more than two years for elective surgery has grown by nearly half in one month, HSJ reports. Calls from The Independent Healthcare Providers Network has asked the government to set out a plan on how patients can access care, detailing how 20,000 fewer appointments went ahead in May 2021. However, NHSE have said despite there being fewer appointments, productivity has increased since restrictions were eased. Read full story (paywalled). Source: HSJ, 09 July 2021
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News Article
Manchester Royal Infirmary under major pressures
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
Staff at Manchester's Royal Infirmary have said they are facing mounting pressures amid staff shortages and increasingly long waiting lists in A&E. Doctors and nurses have said they were told a 'major incident' was declared, however, it was then reduced to an internal incident in an attempt to avoid 'bad press'. A clinician has said A&E patients are now regularly waiting over 8 to 10 hours overnight due to an increasing influx of patients and a surge in children attending A&E. Read full story. Source: The Independent, 26 June 2021 -
News Article
NHS Wales under pressure
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
As services return to normal, Chief executive of NHS Wales has warned the Welsh NHS is under "substantial pressure". As safety measures are needed to remain in place, the resuming of normal services has created a challenge, with patient waiting lists becoming longer and A&E attendance returning to pre-pandemic levels. There is now some concern the new Delta variant may increase hospital admissions, adding more strain to the already strained system. Read full story Source: BBC News, 17 June 2021 -
News Article
New data reveals trusts with biggest number of patients on waiting lists
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
New data published by NHS England has revealed the number of patients waiting at more than 18 months and 2 years. Insights show the trusts waiting times were not particularly caused by the pandemic, but rather had a backlog since before the outbreak of Covid-19. Read full story.(paywalled) Source: HSJ, 10 June 2021 -
News ArticleA group of patient activists has set up a new website using official NHS data to allow patients to check the waiting times for treatments at their local hospital. The new waiting times tool is thought to be the first automated and regularly updated website that shows hospital performance against key waiting time targets, by medical specialty such as cardiology or orthopaedics. The service, developed by volunteers from the not-for-profit Patient Experience Library, not only shows patients how many people are waiting to be treated overall but also shows data on the median waiting time as well as how well the hospital is performing against targets over time. Patients can also compare different hospitals and look at the performance of the NHS in England overall. Wait times for mental health services are treated separately and not included. Miles Sibley, co-founder of the Patient Experience Library, said the website was an attempt to bring transparency to NHS England’s “impenetrable spreadsheets” which not only affected patients but also other NHS staff who told Sibley they spend hours downloading data and working out their organisations performance. Read full story Source: The Independent, 7 June 2021
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News Article
Trust to move people with learning disabilities up waiting lists
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A hospital trust has decided to prioritise people with learning disabilities for elective treatment, after analysis showed they were disproportionately affected by lengthy waits for care, along with some people who have a minority ethnic background. The decision forms part of wider analysis at Calderdale and Huddersfield Foundation Trust of how the impact of covid, and work to recover from it, can exacerbate health inequalities and how this can be addressed. The FT said in a board paper it would “initially prioritise [people with a learning disability] for treatment after cancer and urgent patients”. Papers said it wanted to prioritise patients “around health inequalities and need based” rather than chronologically, as part of its covid elective recovery work. It made the decision about people with a learning disability as they have a shorter average life expectancy “and therefore the impact of waiting for treatment can both further reduce this as well as disproportionately impact on their quality of life whilst waiting,” according to trust board papers. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 4 June 2021 -
News ArticlePeople who remain chronically ill after Covid infections in England have had to wait months for appointments and treatment at specialist clinics set up to handle the surge in patients with long Covid. MPs called on Matt Hancock, the health secretary, to explain the lengthy waiting times and what they described as a “shameful postcode lottery” which left some patients facing delays of more than four months before being assessed at a specialist centre while others were seen within days. NHS England announced in December that people with long Covid, or post-Covid syndrome, could seek help at more than 60 specialist clinics. But despite government assertions in January that the network of 69 centres was already operating, the all-party parliamentary group on coronavirus found that some clinics were still not up and running three months later. Freedom of information requests submitted to NHS trusts revealed that while some clinics had opened and were seeing patients, others had been delayed by the second wave of infections in January. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 30 May 2021
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News Article
Call for surgery hubs to tackle NHS backlog
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Surgeons are calling for specialist hubs in England to help tackle what they call a "colossal backlog" of non-urgent operations because of COVID-19. The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) wants a network of hospital sites focused on routine surgery, such as hip and knee replacements. The government says it is working "to accelerate the recovery of services". In March, around five million patients were waiting for surgery - the highest number since modern records began. Prof Neil Mortensen, president of the RCS, said the pandemic has had a devastating impact on surgical services - and that it must not be allowed to happen again. "Surgery must be available on the NHS all year round, not stop and start," he said, adding that a "New Deal for Surgery" was required to help weather future pandemics. If a dangerous new variant of COVID-19 takes hold, or another bad flu arrives in the autumn, we cannot allow surgery to grind to a halt again or waiting lists will become insurmountable." Read full story Source: BBC News, 28 May 2021 -
News Article
Rising patient numbers threaten to overwhelm GPs
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Rising numbers of patients needing care and a shortage of GPs is threatening to overwhelm the system, doctors and patient groups are warning. It comes after the pandemic has caused severe disruption to GP practices for more than a year. Analysis of NHS England data by the Health Foundation found more than 28 million appointments were booked in March, among the highest recorded. Doctor's leaders say what they are being asked to achieve is "undoable". The analysis of NHS data in England carried out by the Health Foundation for the BBC also that that between 2019-20 and 2020-21: The total number of appointments dropped by 10% - meaning 31 million fewer consultations with GPs and practice nurses Major shift from face-to-face to remote consultation, with the proportion seen in practices dropping from 79% to 54% The number of patients referred by GPs for urgent cancer check-ups dropped by 15%, putting lives at risk The escalating situation has prompted patient groups to call for an urgent review of access to services, amid reports that patients are struggling to get through. Read full story Source: BBC News, 27 May 2021 -
News Article
Ten-fold increase in children waiting too long for specialist care
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The number of children and young people waiting longer than recommended for admission to a mental health bed has increased nearly ten-fold since last summer, according to figures from one NHS region seen by HSJ. There has been major concern about worsening mental health of children and young people through the pandemic, but these are thought to be the first official figures to emerge indicating the extent of the growth in waiting times. Board papers show that, across the NHS’ South East region, from mid-March to mid-April this year, about 50 young people each week were waiting more than the recommended time for admission or transfer into a child and adolescent inpatient mental health unit. Last June, the weekly average was less than six. The papers show much of the rise was due to eating disorders referrals, which rose from five in June to nearly 30 in early March. However, other specialist services also saw rises. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 25 May 2021 -
News ArticleNew data indicates the dental crisis shows no signs of slowing, with four in five people (80%) struggling to access timely care during the last COVID-19 lockdown. Access to NHS dental care continues to be a problem for people across England, with Healthwatch recording a 22% rise in calls and complaints about dentistry between January and March 2021. A review of 1,375 people’s experiences shared with Healthwatch found a lack of consistency across the country when it comes to accessing a dental appointment. Whilst some people were asked to wait an unreasonable time of up to three years for an NHS appointment, those able to afford private care could get an appointment within a week. Healthwatch are calling for greater ambition and urgency from NHS dental reform plans to create more equitable and affordable dental care. Imelda Redmond CBE, National Director of Healthwatch England, said: “The twin crisis of access and affordability hitting NHS dentistry means many people are not able to access timely care – and the poorest are hardest hit. Those human stories show that oral health is a social justice and equity issue." Read full story Source: Healthwatch, 24 May 2021
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News Article
People in England ‘face three-year waits for dentist appointments’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
People are being told to wait until 2024 for dentist appointments while others are being removed from their practice lists for not making appointments sooner, according to a damning report into the state of dentistry. Dental surgeries have reported that they have thousands of people on their waiting lists, while patients are unable to access care after ringing round numerous dental surgeries, a watchdog has warned. Delays have resulted in the worsening of painful symptoms and in one instance even led to a patient needing hospital treatment after overdosing on painkillers, it said. But Healthwatch England said that some people are being offered swift private care as an alternative at the same dental practice, with some patients reporting that they felt pressured to pay for their treatment. Some practices appeared to be prioritising private care, it added. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 24 May 2021 -
News Article
New Covid wave could worsen NHS surgery backlog, experts warn
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A new wave of coronavirus infections could throw into jeopardy efforts to clear a backlog of surgery in the NHS, experts have warned. They say the relaxation of Covid restrictions is expected to cause a rise in infections, while at least some resurgence in hospital admissions and deaths is also expected at some point. However, the sharp rise in cases of a variant of concern first discovered in India, B.1.617.2, has caused consternation, with modelling suggesting that if it is as transmissible as some estimates suggest, it could fuel a serious “third wave”. Now experts have said that a new wave of infections may cause further problems, exacerbating what has already been described as “a truly frightening backlog” of care. “We are anticipating that as lockdown is eased that cases are going to go back up slightly, that is with or without the Indian variant,” Dr David Strain, a senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter medical school, told the Guardian. “The biggest concern we’ve got is that if these [Covid case] numbers do start to go up, it will put a strain on trying to get other services up and running.” “GPs are crying out under the stress at the moment … we still have people not having their operations: we have had procedures postponed for over 12 months, and we have got longer waiting lists that ever before,” he said. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 20 May 2021 -
News Article
NHS was ‘overwhelmed’ in January surge, study finds
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The NHS “was largely overwhelmed” at the height of the UK’s Covid second wave in January, according to a study. New research published in Anaesthesia, a journal of the Association of Anaesthetists, revealed the scale of the pressure on hospitals during the pandemic and how stretched some units were. Based on surveys of all NHS hospitals, with more than half responding, the study found almost a third of anaesthetists were redeployed to look after critically ill patients, leaving 42% of operating theatres closed. This meant operations, including for cancer and emergency surgery patients, had to be cancelled. The research, by Professor Tim Cook, a consultant in anaesthesia and intensive care at the Royal United Hospitals Bath Foundation Trust, said: “Three-quarters of critical care units were so expanded that planned surgery could not be safely resumed. At all times, the greatest resource limitation was staff.” It is thought the findings are an underestimate of how bad the situation really was in some hospitals because the busiest units were less able to respond to the survey. Read full story Source: The Independent, 19 May 2021 -
EventuntilNHS waiting lists are at record levels with 6 million people currently awaiting treatment, and the potential for this figure to reach 14 million over the coming years. With people waiting longer for treatment, the need to develop integrated perioperative pathways that better support patients through their surgical journey has never been greater. During the pandemic, hospitals turned to digital technology to remotely support patients before, during and after surgery – helping to improve both the patient experience, and the quality of care. It is now evident that these tools will play an increasingly important role in supporting the delivery of efficient, sustainable and patient-centred surgical pathways. In this free webinar a panel of NHS and industry experts will discuss: How digital perioperative care can help tackle the elective backlog, improve efficiency & support patients. Best practice for procuring, designing and integrating technology across the surgical pathway. Collaborative partnerships and the future of perioperative care. Register
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EventuntilThe Healthier Nation Index (HNI) is Nuffield Health’s annual survey of the nation’s physical and mental health. The HNI aims to understand how people are feeling, how they are managing their own physical and mental health, and explore some of the factors that are impacting the health of the nation. This session run by Public Policy Projects will explore the findings of the HNI and provide useful insights into the issues policymakers and stakeholders within the health sector should be focusing on as we move on from the pandemic and into the ‘levelling up’ landscape. The findings of this year’s HNI survey show the long-term impact of the pandemic on the nation’s physical and mental health, including how waiting times and the elective care backlog are having a detrimental effect on people’s wellbeing, as well as changing traditional models of healthcare. As we emerge from the pandemic, what lessons can be learned? How can we rebuild the nation’s health? Discussion points 1. What role can prevention and interventions outside the hospital setting play in relieving pressure? The HNI adds to a growing body of evidence which demonstrates that people are finding it difficult to access health services. What role can prevention and interventions outside the hospital setting play in relieving pressure on an overburdened NHS and tackle the elective care backlog? 2. What is the effect of the pandemic on how people use the NHS? What impact are long NHS waiting lists having on mental and physical health? Has the pandemic changed the way that people seek health advice and access healthcare? 3. How can we address health inequalities? How can we widen access to healthcare? Are the ‘Levelling Up’ health missions the right ones to improve the health of under-served populations? 4. What are the opportunities of Integrated Care Systems and Partnerships? As the fledgling bodies are brought into statutory footing in July 2022, what should the new structures be focusing on? Register for this webinar
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EventuntilThis webinar is part of the HSJ Elective Care Recovery Virtual Series. To clear the waiting list backlog, hospitals will need to drive more elective activity within capacity and resource constraints. It demands the need to think differently and to work differently, questioning assumptions about the ‘normal’ ways of doing things. In this session we’ll explore innovative ideas, digital interventions and transformation programmes designed to free up time in elective pathways. Key topics include: Patient-initiated follow-ups Reducing outpatient appointments Pre-operative transformation / digitisation Investing in digital tools to improve efficiency in elective care pathways Register
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EventuntilIn the first of the Health Services Journal (HSJ) Elective Care Recovery Virtual Series, we’ll be exploring the requirements of the Elective Recovery Plan – which was published in February - and the role that digital innovations can play in tackling long waiting lists and ensuring patients are prioritised by clinical need. We will start by hearing from Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive, Northumbria Healthcare Trust and national director for elective care recovery about the broad direction of the plan and its key asks of NHS organisations. Then we will look at the role that digital innovations can play in supporting patients and clinicians and hear from some examples where this has been put into practice. Viewers will be able to pose questions to the panellists during the discussion. Speakers include: Sir James Mackey, national director of elective recovery and chief executive, Northumbria Healthcare Foundation Trust Viki Jenkins, heart failure advanced nurse practitioner and echocardiographer, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board James Illman (Chair) Register
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EventIn November 2021, the Chancellor announced £5.9 billion in funding to help the UK's health and social care system address the backlog and provide much-needed support to NHS staff and patients. But how are healthcare professionals addressing the NHS backlog for 2022/23? Whilst the future pattern of COVID-19 transmission and the resulting demands on the NHS are unknown, there is an urgent need to increase NHS capacity and resilience to deliver safe, high-quality services that meet the full range of people's health and care needs. Here at National Health Executive, we will be hosting our first online event of the year, NHE365 NHS backlog, on February 17th, 2022. This event will investigate how the NHS will continue to rise to the challenges of restoring services, meeting new care demands, and reducing care backlogs caused by the pandemic. Register
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EventuntilAs the health service continues to absorb Covid-19 pressures , and with Omicron adding further strain to an already debilitated workforce, we will look into the core issues and gaps around staff safety and wellbeing and the subsequent risk to patients. Join this HSJ webinar to engage in an open and honest discussion with valuable perspectives from frontline clinicians on some of the key emerging challenges around workforce safety and contingency options and innovation solutions that will help ensure essential services can be maintained safely. Hear from expert panellists on: The realities of dealing with continued service disruption and uncertainty: A perspective from frontline clinicians on the impact on patient safety Is enough being done around staff wellbeing? Find out what kind of support staff really need to ensure they can maintain high standards of care Safety education: How to bring organisational safety standards to the forefront with sections on People, Processes and Performance and discuss the impact of multidisciplinary team training on patient outcomes Speakers: Annie Hunningher, Consultant in Anaesthesia at Barts Health NHS Trust Jono Broad, Senior Manager for Co-Production and Patient Experience Lead for the Integrated Personalised Care Team, South West Regional Team, NHS England and NHS Improvement Chaired by Helen Hughes, Chief Executive, Patient Safety Learning. Register
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EventuntilJoin the #SolvingTogether Connect Sessions, virtual sessions that anyone can attend where people share their ideas for addressing the challenges. They are informal opportunities to put forward ideas, and have discussion. Patients and health and care staff are all invited to attend. The MSTeams link to the session will be added to the event page at 9am on Thursday 2nd February.
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EventuntilResearch suggests the pandemic has greatly disrupted diabetes care. A study from the University of Manchester suggested that in April 2020 alone there was a 70 per cent drop in recorded diagnoses of type 2 diabetes compared to expected rates based on 10-year trends, with rates of blood tests to monitor diabetes falling by 77 per cent in England. There is now a significant backlog of patients awaiting assessment and review in primary care, increasing the risk of complications – and with them poorer outcomes for patients and greater costs to the service. So what can diabetes teach us about how best to address pandemic-related care backlogs? What actions will need to be taken to most effectively prioritise need? How will primary and secondary care need to work together? How can the workforce be used most effectively, particularly given it has already been under severe strain for almost two years? This HSJ webinar, run in association with Novo Nordisk, will bring together a panel of experts to discuss these questions and possible answers. We would be delighted were you able to join us. The event is entirely non-promotional and will not involve any discussion of medicines. Register
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EventPart of the NHS Long Term Plan Webinar Series, this webinar discusses how digital technology is helping to battle the growing waiting list backlog. Register
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EventuntilNHS Long Term Plan Webinar Series NHS waiting lists have hit record levels across the UK as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the numbers are continuing to rise, with some experts warning 14 million people could be waiting for treatment by the end of 2022. Many hospital groups have turned to digital technology to increase clinical capacity, help safely manage patients and detect deteriorating patients, but are these short term saviours or long-term solutions? New NHS funding has been created to support innovation and the introduction of digital tools, so we have brought together an expert panel to share evidence-based examples of how digital technology is supporting the NHS waiting list challenge and helping to shape the future of healthcare and discuss: What impact has remote patient monitoring already made for patients and clinicians dealing with waiting list backlogs? How can experiences in surgical waiting lists and COVID-19 care guide other clinical pathways? How does this offer a way to increase engagement with patients and improve outcomes? Book a place
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Content ArticleThis is the transcript of a Westminster Hall debate in the House of Commons on waiting lists for gynaecological services.
