Covid leaves toxic legacy for NHS with long waits and lives at risk

Patient groups and staff are warning that Covid has left a toxic legacy for the NHS, putting lives at risk and leaving hospitals facing a huge backlog.

NHS England has launched a £160m initiative to tackle the increasing waiting lists. A network of “accelerator” areas is being created to pilot new initiatives, including virtual assessments, additional weekend clinics and new treatment centres that can complete high numbers of cataract operations.

Amanda Pritchard, chief operating officer for NHS England, said “With Covid cases in hospitals now significantly reducing, our focus is on rapidly recovering routine services.”

Recent Macmillan Cancer Support analysis suggests there are around 45,000 “missing” cancer patients across the UK, and the charity fears this will lead to more later-stage diagnoses, reducing the chances of survival for patients.

The charity’s Steven McIntosh says “The knock-on impact of the pandemic on cancer care cannot be overstated. We’re likely to be dealing with Covid’s long shadow for many years to come.”

Currently in England there are 4.7 million people on a hospital waiting list, around 8 per cent of the population, the highest number since records began in 2007. A similar proportion are waiting in Scotland, while in Wakes it is 17 per cent and Northern Ireland 23 per cent.

In addition, the numbers waiting for longer than twelve months have rocketed – in England, from 1,600 before the pandemic to 387,000 at the end of February 2021.

Dr Jennifer Dixon, chief executive of think tank the Health Foundation, said workforce shortages are now at “critical” levels and if this is not solved imminently, the backlog will not be addressed any time soon.

“The impact of the pandemic on the NHS has been immense.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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