Doctors warn of hidden crisis

01 May 2019 Seamus Ward

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In an analysis of NHS England figures, the BMA highlighted delays in cancer treatment, with a quarter of patients waiting more than two months for their first treatment following an urgent GP referral. It said 76.2% of these patients were seen within 62 days – the target is 85%.Chaand Nagpaul

The doctors’ body said this was the worst performance on record and 6,240 people waited beyond the target – a 39% rise on last year.

It added that between January and February this year the NHS failed – for the first time in a winter period – to meet the 93% target for patients to be seen by a cancer specialist within two weeks of referral. It met the target for 92.5% of patients and the NHS has missed the two-week target for nine of the last 12 months.

The report, NHS pressures – winter 2018/19; a hidden crisis, said other areas of performance were hit:

  • The total number of patients waiting for an elective procedure rose to a record 4.3 million in February
  • Bed occupation stood at 93% between 3 December and 3 March – though marginally down from last winter, the BMA believes 92% occupancy and above negatively impacts on patient care
  • 85.1% of patients were seen within the four-hour A&E target.

‘Behind these statistics, which show the NHS plunged deeper into crisis this winter, are stories of real lives in distress,’ said BMA council chair Chaand Nagpaul (pictured). ‘Forcing a patient to wait two months for their first cancer treatment is shameful for a leading nation and as a doctor, I can imagine only too well the distress this will cause to them and their families.’

He added: ‘The government needs to realise that the crisis in the NHS is not going away as our health service struggles in an underfunded and understaffed environment against a backdrop of rising patient demand.

‘We need urgently to ensure that the NHS is provided with the 10,000 extra beds its needs and that funding is brought up to levels enjoyed by other leading Western European countries, a target that will not be reached under the government’s recently announced long-term plan.’

NHS Providers director of policy and strategy Miriam Deakin said the analysis laid bare the strain faced by the health service. Staff had worked ‘incredibly hard’ to meet record levels of demand for emergency care.  

She added: ‘The combination of rising demand coupled with severe workforce shortages across the health and care system is having a visible impact on both the length of time patients are left waiting for urgent care, cancer treatment and operations, and the morale and wellbeing of NHS staff.

‘The forthcoming NHS workforce plan and NHS long term plan are vital for addressing this mismatch. We must move to a model where we are better supporting people to access the care they need closer to home or within community settings. This pressure does not only exist in the winter.  In fact, deteriorating performance against key standards highlighted is a year-round phenomenon.’