UK waiting times for routine surgery ‘getting worse’

According to the latest figures from the Patients Association published in HI Magazine, UK waiting times for routine surgery is getting worse.

The number of patients waiting over 18 weeks rose by 79.5% in 2015

UK waiting times for routine surgery, elective surgical procedures, in England are getting worse, according to a report by the Patients Association.

The total number of patients waiting over 18 weeks in 2015 reached 92,739, up from 51,388 in 2014.

Excluding the figures for bariatric and gender operations, which the organisation did not collect last year, this represents an increase of 79.5%.

Paul Lewis, director of Stockport based C&C Healthcare said: ‘The mounting pressures on the NHS are only likely to get worse. This is partly indicative of an ageing population. 

“While it is excellent news that people are living longer, it impacts on all aspects of healthcare as resources are stretched. 

“Both Private Medical Insurance and Health Cash Plans are likely to become an increasingly important consideration for both employers and their employees. 

“These schemes can take the pressure off the NHS while enabling patients to be seen earlier so relieving the burden to business”. 

Average waiting times for five procedures – hip replacement, knee replacement, hernia, adenoid and tonsillectomies – are above 100 days. This represents the highest average waiting time in the six years that data has been collected by the Patients Association.

Adenoid operations had the longest average waiting time at 110 days, with a rise of around 15 days from 2014 to 2015.

The report found that 77% of trusts are failing to notify patients of their rights under the NHS Constitution when the 18 week limit has been missed.

Trusts cancelled an average of 753 patient surgeries on the day in 2015, with equipment shortages and/or lack of beds the most common reasons.

Requests for information were sent out to 144 Acute NHS Trusts in England, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Using The Patients Association’s national helpline database and seeking policy advice from experts in the field, we devised 11 questions to provide data for our key concerns around elective surgery. source: the patients association