NHS facing heavier loads as waiting times rise

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDJul 14 2011

According to Sir Richard Thompson, President of the Royal College of Physicians, health service providers are struggling to cope with rising demand especially among the elderly, with the result that planned tests and operations are being delayed. He made his statement as Department of Health statistics showed the proportion of inpatients waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment has risen by 29 per cent since the general election, with those needing orthopedic or brain surgery experiencing the worst delays.

According to a survey by The King’s Fund one in four hospital finance managers fears tough productivity targets may damage patient care. The poll by health think-tank showed that more than half of finance directors doubt they will fail to hit cost improvement goals this year, with many worried that the plans may “harm clinical quality”.

Sir Richard said, “The apparent rise in waiting lists is both worrying for patients and evidence of an underlying cause – the increasing pressures on the NHS in general. The NHS is now creaking at the seams, with the growing number of patients needing urgent care, including older people with multiple health problems. Our members are finding it difficult to cope with the increased demand for urgent care, and this has a knock-on effect on the ability of hospitals to cope with planned diagnostic tests, medical procedures and surgical operations. Waiting lists could be the first indication that the NHS is not coping with effects of this inexorable rise in demand.”

According to John Healey, Labour's health spokesman, “David Cameron has pledged to keep waiting times low but these new official figures show that when compared with same period a year ago almost 7,000 more people were waiting longer than 18 weeks to get hospital treatment. That’s a third up on last year and the situation is getting worse by the month. It is clear that people can’t trust David Cameron to keep his NHS promises. The NHS is starting to go backwards again under the Tories. Instead of concentrating efforts on improving services for patients, Ministers have spent a wasted year forcing through their reckless and damaging NHS reorganization.”

In May 2010, as the Coalition Government assumed power, 92.9 per cent of inpatients were seen within the target time while the average wait was 8.4 weeks. A year on, the proportion treated within 18 weeks of being referred by a family doctor was 90.8 per cent. It means the proportion waiting longer has risen by 29 per cent, from 7.1 per cent to 9.2 per cent. The proportion of trauma and orthopedics patients being seen within the target time was the lowest at 83.4 per cent, followed by neurosurgery (84.1 per cent) and oral surgery (88.7 per cent). The actual number of patients waiting longer for operations has also risen, to 27,834, however the total number of patients being seen is also increasing. Among outpatients, 97.7 per cent were seen within the target time compared with 98.2 per cent a year earlier, with the median wait almost unchanged at 4.4 weeks.

The Government insists waiting lists remain “low and stable” despite rising demand. The Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, said, “Average waiting times from referral to treatment are at the same levels as last year. This is against a backdrop of rising demand for NHS services, so the low waiting times are a testimony to the hard work of NHS staff.”