‘Chronic’ waiting times problem needs ‘long-term treatment’

Responding to the latest NHS waiting times statistics, the Royal College of Surgeons of England is calling for a New Deal for surgery to get back on track.

NHS waiting times statistics show that the NHS has not met the legal 18 week standard for hospital treatment for five years. Only 64.5 per cent of patients in February 2021 waiting for hospital treatment were treated within 18 weeks, against the Government’s target of 92 per cent. In total 387,885 people are now waiting over 18 weeks.

The Royal College of Surgeons of England says that, while performance understandably took a nose-dive this winter because of coronavirus, there were symptoms well before the pandemic, and this ‘chronic’ problem now needs ‘long-term treatment’.

Tim Mitchell, Vice- President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England said: “The NHS had a brutal start to the year because of the second wave of Covid-19, and this is reflected in today’s figures. Although we did see the number of patients with Covid-19 decline in February, hospitals were still under huge pressure due to having to separate Covid and non-Covid care, staff having to isolate or being ill with the virus, and the massive resource needed to support the essential national vaccination effort.  

“Although the most urgent operations, for cancer and life-threatening conditions, went ahead, hundreds of thousands of patients waiting for routine surgery such as hip and knee operations, cochlear implants and vascular operations had their treatment cancelled or postponed.

“387,885 patients have now been waiting over a year for planned treatment. That is a year of uncertainty, pain, and isolation. People have been patient as they’ve seen the battering the pandemic has given the NHS, but how much longer can they be expected to wait?

“Hitting the inauspicious milestone of a half a decade since the government’s 18-week target for planned treatment was last met, reminds us the NHS’ capacity problem predates the pandemic. We already had too few beds and not enough staff to keep wider services, such as planned operations, going through hard winters and flu outbreaks.

“The symptoms were there even before the pandemic, but the problem has now become ‘chronic’, and needs ‘long-term treatment’. As we try to get the NHS back on its feet, we must consider how to future-proof our health service, so that vital and life-changing operations can continue, no matter what comes our way. We need a New Deal for Surgery, with investment on a scale last seen in the 2000s, to get back on track meeting NHS waiting time standards.”