Women being hit hardest by NHS delays as treatment backlogs grow across key services
New data from NHS England show that 57 per cent of patients waiting for treatment are female while 43 per cent are male.
2
Women are waiting for 3.9million treatments, a million more than the 2.9m listed for men, while the remainder are uncategorised.
Female patients also wait longer than males as statistics show they are less likely to be treated within the 18-week target time and more likely to wait over a year.
Gynaecology, which looks after women's reproductive health, has the longest waiting list of any single department for working age people.
Professor Ranee Thakar, of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: 'This data is a vital step in addressing the postcode lottery in gynaecology care.
'Delays can lead to a need for more complex treatment and significantly impact women's health, wellbeing, and daily lives.
'We know that our members are working tirelessly to deliver more appointments and so it is encouraging to see waiting lists begin to fall in recent months.'
Overall, the NHS figures show patients living in working class areas, and those from black or Asian backgrounds, are more likely to face long waits.
In a blow to the economy, 56 per cent of waiters are of working age – more than 3.5million people, with many unable to work while they wait.
Ear, nose and throat clinics have the biggest backlogs, with 616,000 procedures due to be completed.
Ophthalmology and gynaecology both account for over 500,000 each, while cardiology and dermatology both have waiting lists of more than 400,000.
Wes Streeting brutally slams Kemi AND Farage and demands Tories say sorry for how they ran the NHS in blistering attack
Sharon Brennan, of National Voices, said: 'Being honest with the public is an important step to winning back the trust of communities who often feel unheard and sometimes unwanted.'
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: 'Only by being upfront and shining a light on inequalities can we begin to tackle the problem.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
North Wales Chronicle
2 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Weekly spin class ‘better than physio' for people with common hip issue
The approach could also be more cost-effective for the NHS and could help tackle waiting times for physiotherapy, according to researchers. Hip osteoarthritis happens when the cartilage in the hip breaks down, causing pain and stiffness. It it estimated that the condition affects about 3.2 million people in the UK. For the trial, experts from Bournemouth University and University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) compared usual physiotherapy care with an eight-week exercise and education programme known as Chain (cycling against hip pain). The study, published in The Lancet Rheumatology, included 211 people, with roughly half assigned to each group. The Chain group attended weekly education sessions from a physiotherapist, lasting around 30 minutes, followed by a 30-minute session of static cycling led by a gym instructor. The effects of treatment on patients were measured by the Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) activities of daily living (ADL) subscale, which assesses how hip problems affect various daily activities. The study found those who completed the cycling classes had a 'statistically significant improvement in patient-reported function after treatment'. Researchers said the method 'showed superior outcomes compared with usual physiotherapy care, and the feasibility of delivering a low-cost, community-based intervention within the NHS was shown'. However, they stress the 'longer-term benefits and broader generalisability warrant further investigation'. Tom Wainwright, a professor of orthopaedics at Bournemouth University and a physiotherapist at UHD, said: 'For the time it takes to treat one patient using standard physiotherapy, we can treat multiple patients in a group session and provide them with better outcomes. 'This has proved to be more cost-effective than standard treatment and so we hope this will contribute to reducing NHS waiting times for physiotherapy treatment in the future.' Professor Rob Middleton, of Bournemouth University and an orthopaedic surgeon at UHD, said: 'Hip replacements cost the NHS over £6,000 per patient, so avoiding surgery for hip problems reduces the burden on the NHS, saves money, and provides better outcomes for patients. 'Now with this new study we can also see the potential for static cycling to save further money for the NHS by bringing down waiting lists for physiotherapy.' Dr Peter Wilson, chief medical officer at UHD, said: 'We are an ageing population and increasingly we are seeing more patients with osteoarthritis that need either surgery or physiotherapy. 'Finding alternative ways to treat these patients could help reduce waiting times and the financial demand on NHS services.' The Chain intervention was first launched in 2013 and patients who wish to take part are referred to UHD from their GP. To bolster access on a national level, experts from Bournemouth University had developed a virtual course on their education app, allowing people to follow the programme from their home or local gym.
South Wales Guardian
2 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Weekly spin class ‘better than physio' for people with common hip issue
The approach could also be more cost-effective for the NHS and could help tackle waiting times for physiotherapy, according to researchers. Hip osteoarthritis happens when the cartilage in the hip breaks down, causing pain and stiffness. It it estimated that the condition affects about 3.2 million people in the UK. For the trial, experts from Bournemouth University and University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) compared usual physiotherapy care with an eight-week exercise and education programme known as Chain (cycling against hip pain). The study, published in The Lancet Rheumatology, included 211 people, with roughly half assigned to each group. The Chain group attended weekly education sessions from a physiotherapist, lasting around 30 minutes, followed by a 30-minute session of static cycling led by a gym instructor. The effects of treatment on patients were measured by the Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) activities of daily living (ADL) subscale, which assesses how hip problems affect various daily activities. The study found those who completed the cycling classes had a 'statistically significant improvement in patient-reported function after treatment'. Researchers said the method 'showed superior outcomes compared with usual physiotherapy care, and the feasibility of delivering a low-cost, community-based intervention within the NHS was shown'. However, they stress the 'longer-term benefits and broader generalisability warrant further investigation'. Tom Wainwright, a professor of orthopaedics at Bournemouth University and a physiotherapist at UHD, said: 'For the time it takes to treat one patient using standard physiotherapy, we can treat multiple patients in a group session and provide them with better outcomes. 'This has proved to be more cost-effective than standard treatment and so we hope this will contribute to reducing NHS waiting times for physiotherapy treatment in the future.' Professor Rob Middleton, of Bournemouth University and an orthopaedic surgeon at UHD, said: 'Hip replacements cost the NHS over £6,000 per patient, so avoiding surgery for hip problems reduces the burden on the NHS, saves money, and provides better outcomes for patients. 'Now with this new study we can also see the potential for static cycling to save further money for the NHS by bringing down waiting lists for physiotherapy.' Dr Peter Wilson, chief medical officer at UHD, said: 'We are an ageing population and increasingly we are seeing more patients with osteoarthritis that need either surgery or physiotherapy. 'Finding alternative ways to treat these patients could help reduce waiting times and the financial demand on NHS services.' The Chain intervention was first launched in 2013 and patients who wish to take part are referred to UHD from their GP. To bolster access on a national level, experts from Bournemouth University had developed a virtual course on their education app, allowing people to follow the programme from their home or local gym.
Leader Live
2 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Weekly spin class ‘better than physio' for people with common hip issue
The approach could also be more cost-effective for the NHS and could help tackle waiting times for physiotherapy, according to researchers. Hip osteoarthritis happens when the cartilage in the hip breaks down, causing pain and stiffness. It it estimated that the condition affects about 3.2 million people in the UK. For the trial, experts from Bournemouth University and University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) compared usual physiotherapy care with an eight-week exercise and education programme known as Chain (cycling against hip pain). The study, published in The Lancet Rheumatology, included 211 people, with roughly half assigned to each group. The Chain group attended weekly education sessions from a physiotherapist, lasting around 30 minutes, followed by a 30-minute session of static cycling led by a gym instructor. The effects of treatment on patients were measured by the Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) activities of daily living (ADL) subscale, which assesses how hip problems affect various daily activities. The study found those who completed the cycling classes had a 'statistically significant improvement in patient-reported function after treatment'. Researchers said the method 'showed superior outcomes compared with usual physiotherapy care, and the feasibility of delivering a low-cost, community-based intervention within the NHS was shown'. However, they stress the 'longer-term benefits and broader generalisability warrant further investigation'. Tom Wainwright, a professor of orthopaedics at Bournemouth University and a physiotherapist at UHD, said: 'For the time it takes to treat one patient using standard physiotherapy, we can treat multiple patients in a group session and provide them with better outcomes. 'This has proved to be more cost-effective than standard treatment and so we hope this will contribute to reducing NHS waiting times for physiotherapy treatment in the future.' Professor Rob Middleton, of Bournemouth University and an orthopaedic surgeon at UHD, said: 'Hip replacements cost the NHS over £6,000 per patient, so avoiding surgery for hip problems reduces the burden on the NHS, saves money, and provides better outcomes for patients. 'Now with this new study we can also see the potential for static cycling to save further money for the NHS by bringing down waiting lists for physiotherapy.' Dr Peter Wilson, chief medical officer at UHD, said: 'We are an ageing population and increasingly we are seeing more patients with osteoarthritis that need either surgery or physiotherapy. 'Finding alternative ways to treat these patients could help reduce waiting times and the financial demand on NHS services.' The Chain intervention was first launched in 2013 and patients who wish to take part are referred to UHD from their GP. To bolster access on a national level, experts from Bournemouth University had developed a virtual course on their education app, allowing people to follow the programme from their home or local gym.
