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Telegraph
9 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Millions on NHS waiting lists yet to have first appointment
Millions of people in England on NHS waiting lists are yet to have their first appointment, new data reveal. Figures from NHS England last month suggest nearly half of those waiting for hospital care have not had their first appointment with a specialist or a diagnostic test since their GP referral. An analysis by health data specialist MBI Health suggests nearly three million out of the 6.23 million patients (48 per cent) waiting for treatment are left in limbo. Experts referred to the issue as a 'frontlog' and warned the crisis 'has gone unchallenged for too long'. MBI's analysis also found that around 70 per cent of referral-to-treatment pathways fall into the category of being 'unseen' since the patient's GP referred them to a specialist. Delays in making a first assessment can lead to late diagnosis, worsening symptoms and pressure on emergency services. The analysis found that ear, nose and throat, trauma and orthopaedics, gastroenterology, ophthalmology and gynaecology and obstetrics departments were consistently the specialist departments with the greatest number of patients not seen for the first time. 'That's a breakdown' As part of the Government's 10-year health plan, the NHS is expected to meet its target of carrying out 92 per cent of routine operations and appointments within 18 weeks by March 2029 – a target that has not been achieved for almost a decade. The latest figures show how challenging that target will be given an estimated one million of the three million unseen patients have already gone more than 18 weeks without receiving any care. 'If accurate, three million people are trapped in an invisible waiting-list crisis, stuck without basic diagnostic tests of first appointments while their conditions worsen,' Rachel Power, the chief executive of the Patients Association, told the Guardian. 'The scale is staggering, as nearly half of all patients on a waiting list haven't been seen by anyone. That's not a healthcare service; that's a breakdown. 'These aren't just statistics. They're people checking their phones daily for hospital calls that never come, unable to plan their lives while their symptoms deteriorate.' Last month it was found people of working age are making up a growing proportion of those on the NHS waiting list for treatment in England. Data tables published for the first time by NHS England also show people in the most deprived parts of the country are more likely to wait more than a year to start hospital treatment than those in the least deprived. The figures, analysed by the PA news agency, showed 56.1 per cent of those on the list at the end of June this year were of working age (defined as age 19 to 64), up from 55.8 per cent a year ago and 55 per cent in June 2022. At the same time, the proportion of people on the waiting list under the age of 19 has fallen, standing at 10.8 per cent in June this year, down from 11.2 per cent a year earlier and 11.9 per cent in June 2022. The proportion who are over 65 has remained broadly unchanged at around 33.1 per cent. People of working age are also more likely to have to wait more than a year to start treatment (three per cent of patients in this age group at the end of June) than those over 65 (two and half per cent). However, the proportion is the same as those under 19 (also three per cent). An NHS spokesman said: 'NHS staff have made significant progress in reducing waiting lists in the last year, which are down by more than 260,000 since June 2024. 'All patients are assessed by clinicians as they are added to waiting lists, and we will continue with our plan to improve waiting times for patients throughout the year.'
BBC News
9 minutes ago
- BBC News
Scarborough hospital death prompts coroner's concerns
A coroner has expressed concerns about delays in hospital treatment, including a failure to recognise medical alert bracelets before a woman's Stones, 53, died at Scarborough Hospital on 17 September 2023 and following an inquest last month the area's assistant coroner has issued a Prevention of Future Deaths Kane said Ms Stones had complex medical problems and she found during the course of the inquest there were "delays in recognising and appropriately treating" her York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it recognised the coroner's concerns and would set out an action plan to address any recommendations. Ms Kane said Ms Stones' medical conditions included Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and in 2021 she had suffered Catastrophic Antiphospholipid Syndrome (CAPS) which led to Addison's Disease (AD).As a result her body could not produce cortisol and she required lifelong steroid treatment with hydrocortisone. If she had an infection she would need her hydrocortisone level to be recalibrated to manage Kane said Ms Stones had been taken to hospital on 10 September 2023 where she was given a provisional diagnosis of suspected gallstones and discharged home with oral antibiotics and medical notes showed that those treating her were aware that her medical history included the diagnoses of APS and days later she attended the hospital for a planned ultrasound and was diagnosed with Acute Cholecystitis with was again discharged home and advised to complete the course of antibiotics she had previously been on the 16 September she was blue lighted to hospital with suspected Cholecystitis. 'Failure to prioritise' The ambulance service had alerted the hospital about her condition but when she arrived there was a delay of two hours before she was moved to coroner added there had also been a delay in administering intravenous antibiotics and fluids leading to Ms Stones developing was also a substantial delay before it was recognised that she had AD and required Stones died in intensive care on 17 September Kane said she was unable to determine on the balance of probabilities if the delays in treatment "caused or more than minimally contributed to her death". "However, there was evidence of omissions and delays in the treatment that Joanne received which caused me concern," she coroner raised a number of concerns in her failure to prioritise her despite the ambulance service alert, that Ms Stones had worn two medical alert bracelets about her existing conditions which staff did not were also no red flags on her medical records highlighting her APS and AD diagnoses to the treating Kane said doctors had to rely on a "very sick patient" to confirm any medical conditions."There was no liaison with Rheumatology, who had extensive knowledge and experience of Joanne and how to treat her conditions," she added."It was not clear from the medical notes that staff treating Joanne had considered the relevance of her APS and AD in her treatment plan." 'Ensure learning' A spokesperson for York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it wished "to extend our sincere condolences to Ms Stones' family"."We recognise and share the concerns raised by HM's Coroner. Following the conclusion of the inquest, we acknowledge the coroner's recommendations and fully accept the need for further action."We will be setting out our action plan and implementation timetable to meet the coroner's deadline, and a full response will be shared with the coroner in due course."We remain fully committed to patient safety and will take all necessary steps to ensure learning and improvement where needed." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Telegraph
31 minutes ago
- Telegraph
This royal biography is clutching at straws
She points out that the late Queen's sister, who died in 2002 aged 72, had stunted growth, struggled to learn how to write and suffered mood swings as well as painful migraines. But isn't this yet another case of trying to medicalise everyday problems? Margaret had none of the more obvious symptoms of FAS, such as smooth lip philtrum, small eyes, and a flattened mid she was small, at 5 ft 1, but her mother was only an inch taller. FAS sufferers have difficulties with social skills, but the princess was the life and soul of any party. They also have difficulty with fine motor skills and yet Margaret was an accomplished pianist. Sure, she was impulsive and would 'blurt out the truth' – but the same can probably be said of most royals and aristocrats of her era! While the Queen Mother did enjoy 'a tipple' later in life, as attested by her official biographer William Shawcross, there is no evidence she was an alcoholic – least of all when she gave birth to her daughters in 1926 and 1930. Indeed, in a 1925 letter to her husband, cited by Secrest, she reveals that she has lost her appetite for wine in pregnancy, joking: 'It will be a tragedy if I never recover my drinking powers.' Despite enjoying gin and Dubonnet, wine, port and martinis, she lived to 101. Very heavy drinkers don't tend to become centenarians!
