NHS waiting times are up by six per cent according to official figures and the experts tell us this will only get worse. Paul Shires looks at the impact on the health insurance sector.
More than 99 days for a new knee, almost 94 for a hip replacement and 78 days for a hernia operation – that’s a long time to wait if you’re in pain and unable to work. Yet it is a wait that many NHS patients are learning to live with.
A report from the Patients Association has revealed a 6% increase in NHS waiting times for elective surgical procedures, meaning that patients requiring ‘non-urgent’ surgery, including hip replacements, gallstone removal and hysterectomies, will have to wait in line for longer.
Even the latest statistics from the Department of Health (DoH) itself show that the number of patients waiting more than 18 weeks for NHS treatment has increased by 43% since the coalition government came to power in May 2010.
The rise in waiting times seems to be an inevitable result of the enormous pressures facing the NHS as it continues to strive to meet the government’s controversial and ambitious savings target of £20bn by 2014. And with the media dominated by headlines about the economic downturn, it can be difficult to separate fact from frenzy.
The only real certainty is that as the NHS continues to tighten its belt, further service cuts and lengthening waiting lists will be unavoidable. Funding shortages, medical advances and an ageing population are combining to force the NHS to channel its expertise and resources into the areas in which it excels: critical care, and heart and cancer treatment.
This leaves those suffering from conditions that require treatment now classed as non-urgent by the NHS facing long waits for diagnostics and routine surgery.
THE PLOT THICKENS
Let’s be clear, these are not necessarily minor ailments. They can include a wide range of common medical complaints such as slipped discs, varicose veins, cataracts, abdominal hernias, and hip and knee problems – the treatment of which is considered to be non-emergency and may not be available on the NHS in some areas. Waits for diagnostic tests are also lengthening.
Last year, the DoH revealed that the number of patients waiting more than the recommended six weeks for tests such as X-rays and scans at NHS hospitals rose by 92 per cent in 12 months.
Coupled with the rise in waiting times for elective surgery, this significantly drives up the length of time an employee suffering from a painful injury or condition would need to take off work while they await a diagnosis, undergo surgical treatment and recover.
