NHS waiting list could be two million longer than thought

20 comments

1. Article Text –

   The NHS waiting list could be two million people longer than previously thought, new data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) suggests.

   A representative survey of almost 100,000 adults in England found that 21 per cent were waiting for an NHS appointment, test or medical treatment.

   It means that around 9.7 million people – more than one in five – are waiting for an appointment when the survey’s results are extrapolated across the country, the ONS said.

   Official waiting list data up until the end of January said that 6.3 million people were waiting for 7.6 million appointments because some people are on two or more waiting lists.

   The NHS does not include those waiting for follow-up appointments or check-ups because they have already started a programme of treatment.

   The survey also found that one in seven patients on the waiting list had been waiting for longer than a year for an appointment or treatment despite NHS figures suggesting it is fewer than one in 20.

   While NHS data show that 321,394 patients have been waiting longer than 12 months for a first appointment after a referral, the ONS survey found the number waiting longer than a year was likely to be closer to 1.35 million.

   Just over 14,000 people have been waiting 18 months according to NHS figures, but ONS suggests this could actually be more than 670,000 people, a year after the number waiting was supposed to have been eliminated.

2. All the NHS problems would be fixed in rapid time if the people responsible were charged and jailed for murder. It isn’t about money or resources. The problem lies squarely with the attitude of some staff and lack of accountability for their deliberate negligence.

3. When it reaches a certain length people will start to die and it’ll shorten

   The numbers will add up… In the end

4. All those people waiting for minor things?

   Leave them waiting long enough, and they’ll either be waiting for major things or dead – and that is the very real problem here – we save a few pounds **now**, at the cost of thousands of pounds in the future.

5. Would anyone be surprised? Every single step in the healthcare chain is understaffed and underfunded.

6. NHS has crumbled. Not sure it will ever recover at this rate. Anyone that can afford it should be looking into private medical insurance ASAP. Sucks to become all the shit parts of the US, with none of the good parts.

7. Friend of mines wife is waiting 2 years for a tumor to be checked. It’s been dormant for a while but meant to be checked every 6 months

8. The NHS has problems inside and out, clinical and non clinical. I left a year ago and I am still owed over £1,300. Yes it’s true the NHS has been gutted three ways to Sunday by the tories, but faaaar too many underqualified jackasses work in the NHS.

   I filed a formal complaint against two managers of the estates dept for forging documents about how clean the ventilation system is. They said they clean them every two months. They didn’t. The dust was inches thick. I reported to NHS and HSE.

   They both got promoted. Switched to private since.

9. I have endometriosis, which is “managed” with hormones but needs surgery to treat each recurrence as it comes back and gets worse. I made the mistake of waiting until things were bad enough to need surgery to ask my consultant to put me on her surgery list, rather than asking for it as soon as I felt slightly “off”. It’s started affecting my general health and ability to work, I need to get treated for anaemia again and if I’m incredibly lucky I’ll get surgery in the next 6-12 months. I’m prepared for much longer.

10. All by design of course. Tory voters all have private insurance so don’t give a damn about the rest of us.

11. And yet still no mask mandates in hospitals when Covid infections are rife and cause all sorts of chronic health issues that would add people to these waiting lists.

12. I’m a GP. I have seen a significant number of referals “cancelled” with the comment being booked outside of ERS (choose and book). I wonder if they are included!

13. We need to stop solely focusing on the NHS performance and start comparing it other countries with similar populations to see how they are performing. It’s becoming pretty obvious that a society this size with a pensioner to worker ratio this high means things like the NHS are no longer fit for purpose. We have stealth privatisation because no one is brave enough to publicly say the NHS needs to be redesigned but it does. That doesn’t mean US style healthcare but copying the french or Germany model would probably lead to more sustainable and high quality health care

14. God forbid you say the NHS is on its knees and a dwindling flame. If you value your health you go private now. Doesn’t matter if people like to hear it, it’s how it is.

15. I wouldn’t be surprised if they actually meant two million years.

16. As someone who could count the number of GP appointments I’ve had in my entire life one hand, I do find it mind boggling how big the queues are.

    Either 1 in 6 people are waiting in queue or we have some people in queue for multiple appointments.

17. I had suffered with horiffic red/ swollen/ godawful face skin for a couple of years. I’d regularly be asked what was wrong/ if I had allergies/ I’d I’d suffered burns and one pleasant colleague likened my face to ‘that bloke from chernobyl who looked into the reactor’ genuinely people stopped my to ask what was wrong. Anyway, id been on the waiting list for the dermatology dept for 2 years, finally got my appointment for March 2020.

    I went. Got there early, saw the dermatologist I was due to see arrive, got told I was the first patient and I was lucky to see him! He was 15minutes late for my appointment citing that he couldn’t get computer access. When he saw me he told me I had an allergy to the sun and the only way to stop it was to ‘wear a box on your head’ when I asked if he was serious he scoffed and said that it would certainly help but to avoid going outside during daylight, close curtains and blinds when indoors and generally live like a vampire. He was going to send me to the big acute to confirm this with a test but he knew what it was and that was what I need to do, I should hear within 6 months for the test.

    I walked out crying,

    It’s been 4 years and nothing. I received a letter a couple if years ago saying I was still in the list and would be seen as soon as an appointment was available, they’ll contact me asap etc.

    This was affecting work, my social life, even going to the shops, I explained how debilitating being gawped at and asked to explain myself constantly was but no.

    Luckily! My lovely husband surprised me with a birthday present trip to a private derm who diagnosed it as a type of stress rosaecia and gave me something for it and poof! I’ve got my lovely face back! I still flare red as sunburn if I feel embarrassed or eat certain foods but it’s manageable and I’m not chronically stressed anymore.

    I wonder if they scrapped my referral in the end? All in all from my first referral it’s been 6+ years. Bonkers.

18. Never underestimate how well the Tories have fucked the UK up

19. IT’S OK
    PUT THE KETTLE ON
    SIT IN FRONT OF THE TELLY
    WATCH BAKE OFF
    PEEP THROUGH THE CURTAINS
    GET THE KIDS TO SCHOOL
    SWIMMING LESSONS
    HAS THE NEIGHBOUR PARKED IN OUR SPACE AGAIN?

20. Im sure the number of people awaiting care is far higher still than on a waiting list. I imagine many others, like me, put off seeing the doctor until the last minute about something that isn’t urgent because the waiting lists are so long and seeing a GP is so difficult.