Record NHS waiting times - our response
New NHS data indicates that a record 7.75 million people are on waiting lists for specialist clinical care or surgery.
The number of people waiting for over a year has significantly increased, so has the total number of those waiting over 18 months (the NHS target was to get this to zero by April 2023 – increased to 8,998 from 7,289 people).
Chris McCann, our Director of Campaigns and Insight said:
“Despite the hard work of staff to get waiting lists down, today’s statistics again show the huge challenges facing the NHS and patients, with a record high waiting list and a rise in the number of people waiting over 18 months for an appointment.
“We’ve recently received one piece of feedback from a man which summed up so many of the issues we have been hearing for some time now. After waiting for a prostate procedure for eight months, he found out the wait would be a further 79 weeks. Not only does the long wait worry him, but it has also negatively affected his quality of life and mental health. He is frequently exhausted from chronic sleep disturbance caused by his illness.
“There is no doubt that longer wait times can affect people’s willingness to seek care from the NHS this winter, but it’s vital people still come forward this winter for the healthcare they need.
“We renew our calls for hospital teams to ensure that everyone on an NHS waiting list is offered support or signposted to help for their mental health, given the impact long waits can have on people’s wellbeing, their ability to work, and their ability to socialise.”
John's story: I was told to wait a further 79 weeks.
Last year, John, from Chard in Somerset, was told he needed a transurethral resection of the prostate (known as TURP) procedure. The procedure was booked for April this year. However, when he called the hospital, having waited eight months for the procedure, he was told the wait was a further 79 weeks.
In the meantime, John’s quality of life has been severely affected. He is often up eight times a night due to his illness, which makes him feel exhausted.
He said: “The symptoms are getting very tiring. Waking up several times in the night, every night, has significant impact on my energy levels during day”.
In the meantime, John has not received any further support for his symptoms. He is also worried that no one proactively shared any updates about his procedure with him. It was John who rang the clinic.
The symptoms are getting very tiring. Waking up several times in the night, every night, has significant impact on my energy levels during day.
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