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Royal College of Surgeons has expressed concern about the “grim reality” of NHS waiting times for surgery (14 June 2017)

Date: 14/06/2017
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, Royal College of Surgeons has expressed concern about the “grim reality” of NHS waiting times for surgery

The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) has said that the number of patients who are facing waits of six months or more for surgery has tripled over the last four years.

In March, almost 130,000 people had been waiting for over half a year for operations following a referral from a consultant, compared to the 45,000 people in March 2013. Surgeons are concerned that many more patients will be facing long waits for surgery in the future.

These figures follow an announcement earlier this year from NHS England boss Simon Stevens, who said that growing pressures on the NHS meant the 18-week target time for non-urgent operations could no longer be guaranteed. The RCS has now revealed that this is causing a number of patients to wait for six to nine months, or even longer, for surgery in specialities such as brain and spinal, ear, nose and throat, and general surgery. Figures from the RCS show that the number of patients waiting for over six months for ear, nose and throat operations has risen by 256% in four years, whilst the number of those waiting for brain and spinal surgery has risen by just short of 150%.

March of this year saw nearly 20,000 people who had been waiting more than nine months for surgery, which is three times more than the figures of March 2013.

President of the Royal College of Surgeons, Clare Marx, has expressed her concerns at the waiting times: “We are now struggling to meet the standards and timeliness of care that the public rightly expect. It is unacceptable for such a large number of patients to be waiting this long in pain and discomfort for treatment. This is the grim reality of the financial pressures facing the NHS.” Marx highlighted that a number of the patients being made subject to the waits are older, and so the waits could have a more significant impact on both their quality of life and how well they will recover after surgery.

According to the RCS, bed shortages in the NHS are largely to blame for the rise of waiting times. Pressures in emergency departments result in less space for patients awaiting planned surgery.

Rebecca Thomas, Director of Clinical Negligence at Duncan Lewis Solicitors comments:

“We have first-hand experience of how the delay in having surgery impacts on our client’s and their quality of life. We represent a client who has been waiting 8 months to undergo surgery to remove a transvaginal mesh. She has suffered horrendous pain for an extended period and it seems likely that her bowel has been perforated as a result of this delay. The Government need to heed the advice from the Royal College of Surgeons and to take steps to improve matters and reduce waiting times for non-urgent operations”.

Duncan Lewis Clinical Negligence Solicitors

The Duncan Lewis Clinical Negligence team has significant experience acting in a vast array of claims including accident and emergency failures, GP negligence claims, misdiagnosed fractures and other medical conditions and wrongful death claims. They also act for children and adults who have suffered profound and permanent brain, spinal or neurological injuries and associated disabilities as a consequence of failings in medical care in both NHS and private hospitals.

If you believe you have waited too long for an operation, or that your doctor has made a mistake, please do not hesitate to contact our team of expert solicitors on 0333 772 0409.

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