Doctors unable to offer patients the care they need

A new British Medical Association survey has revealed that thousands of doctors feel that wider patient care has been neglected in the coronavirus pandemic.

Wards and facilities have been adapted to cope with the demand of patients with the coronavirus infection at the expense of other patients. Referrals from GPs are not being accepted unless for a serious medical conditions and routine investigations to aid diagnosis are not available in many cases. Additionally, A&E attendances are down by as much as 50 per cent as patients have also feared leaving home, thus not receiving the care they need.

More than half of doctors told the BMA survey that prioritisation of confirmed and suspected coronavirus patients was worsening the care available to those without the condition. Almost a third of doctors responding said it was having a significantly worse impact. They are increasingly becoming significantly worried about long-term clinical demands on the NHS.

The BMA’s findings come at a crucial time for the government as it reviews its five tests for easing lockdown ahead of the 7 May deadline, the first of which is ‘making sure the NHS can cope’. The biggest concern raised by doctors is the long-term impact on patient clinical demand, with 40 per cent saying this is their greatest worry.

The survey also found that a more than a quarter of doctors were experiencing shortages of vital medicines, gases or therapeutics, with almost a third saying that such shortages – or anticipated future shortages – have forced them to offer less effective treatment than they ordinarily would.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chair, said: “While all parts of the NHS have rallied around in a bid to meet the immediate rocketing demand caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, these findings bear out the fears held by many doctors that parts of the health service – and most importantly the needs of patients more widely with non-Covid illness – are being neglected.

“This means many ill patients are not getting the care they so desperately need now – and crucially, risking their conditions getting worse and with some maybe even dying as a result. Once this current situation eases, it is highly likely that there will be a sudden spike in demand, from patients with far more acute illnesses, caused by a delay in timely treatment. It is vital that the NHS plans for this now.

“Already one in four doctors said they have been redeployed to cope with the pandemic, and if they return to their usual work as services resume, this would reduce workforce available for dealing with the demand from Covid care.

“Before any lockdown measures are eased, the government has rightly insisted that the NHS must be able to cope. These results clearly show that this is not just about Covid, but also a potential surge in other patients, who may have put off accessing healthcare or, indeed had their treatment deferred. Crucially the government must set out a clear and tangible plan of how the system will have capacity both for the ongoing demands of the pandemic, as well as resuming services for those patients whose care has effectively been frozen.”

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, commented: “The lockdown and measures to prepare the NHS for Covid-19 are creating far reaching consequences for people’s health. Non-emergency surgery has been cancelled and treatment for cancer delayed, while evidence suggests that people with sickness are avoiding seeing a doctor or going to A&E. It is also expected that the lockdown will lead to an increase in mental health problems.

“The BMA is right to warn this threatens a long term wave of clinical demand on the NHS, and without action it will mean increased mortality and morbidity. Ministers must come forward with a funded, credible plan to help the NHS get ready to meet this growing need and ensure patients get the care they deserve.”

More than 16,000 doctors from across the UK replied between 28-30 April.