NHS waiting lists: Working age people a growing proportion of those needing help

South Wales Guardian

4 days ago

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, show 56.1% 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% a year ago and 55.0% 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% in June this year, down from 11.2% a year earlier and 11.9% in June 2022.
The proportion who are over 65 has remained broadly unchanged at around 33.1%.
People of working age are also more likely to have to wait more than a year to start treatment (3.0% of patients in this age group at the end of June) than those over 65 (2.5%).
However, the proportion is the same as those under 19 (also 3.0%).
Meanwhile, people in the most deprived parts of England also face long waits for treatment when compared with those in the wealthiest areas.
And for data where sex is recorded, women make up a higher percentage of the waiting list (57%) compared with men (43%).
Women are also more likely to be waiting more than 18 and 52 weeks than men.
On deprivation, some 3.1% of patients living in the most deprived areas had been waiting more than 12 months to begin treatment at the end of June, compared with 2.7% in the least deprived.
The gap is even wider in some regions, with the figures for the Midlands ranging from 3.0% in the most deprived parts to 2.4% in the least deprived; from 2.4% to 1.8% in London; and from 4.9% to 4.0% in eastern England.
The data also shows patients in certain ethnic groups are more likely to have to wait more than a year to start hospital treatment than in others.
Some 3.2% of patients in England identifying as Bangladeshi had been waiting more than 12 months to begin treatment at the end of June, along with 3.0% of patients of Pakistani and African backgrounds, higher proportions than those identifying as Caribbean (2.9%), Chinese (2.8%), British (2.8%) or Indian (2.7%).
Eastern England and south-west England are the regions with the largest ethnicity gap for people waiting more than a year to begin hospital treatment.
The Government has announced new neighbourhood health centres in its 10-year plan for the NHS, which will be targeted first at the places where healthy life expectancy is lowest.
According to the Department of Health, this includes 'de-industrialised cities and coastal towns, reducing the estimated £240-£330 billion cost of sickness to the economy.'
Some 20 'further faster' teams have also been sent in to those NHS trusts with the longest waits to try to bring them down.
The new data shows the largest specialty for those on the waiting list aged 18-64 is gynaecology (12% of all 18 to 64-year-olds), while it is ophthalmology for older adults.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said: 'We inherited an NHS which after years of neglect had left all patients worse off – but some more than others.
'Sunlight is the best disinfectant. Only by being upfront and shining a light on inequalities can we begin to tackle the problem.
'We will give all patients the care they need when they need it as part of our Plan for Change.
'Our 10-Year Health Plan will tackle health inequalities faced across the country, diverting billions of pounds to working-class communities, and providing truly targeted, bespoke care to all patients where they live via the neighbourhood health service.'
Stella Vig, NHS national clinical director for elective care, said: 'Understanding patient demographics is vital if we are to identify and tackle the way different groups are treated.
'As well as allowing patients and the public to see the makeup of local lists, NHS teams will be able to analyse the latest data, understand where there is unwarranted variation in waiting times, and work with their communities to take action to reduce it.'
Professor Habib Naqvi, chief executive of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, said: 'This is a great step in making ethnic health inequities more visible.
'Without robust, consistent data and transparency about what's happening in the healthcare system, we will not be able to enable genuine equitable decision making in the NHS, nor tackle and eradicate ethnic and racial inequalities in health in a sustained and meaningful way.'
It comes as the Government announced that patients with long-term conditions will be automatically referred to specialist charities at the point of diagnosis from next year.
Diagnosis Connect will ensure patients are referred directly to charities and support organisations in a move the Government says will 'complement, not replace', NHS care.
Siva Anandaciva, director of policy, partnerships and events at The King's Fund, welcomed the new data, but warned the figures show that 'some parts of the country will be left behind' if tackling NHS waiting lists does not become more inclusive.
He added: 'The Government's 10-Year Plan for Health does not say enough on how the Government plans to reduce health inequalities – in fact, the last paragraph of the prevention chapter in the plan says that by the end of 10 years this plan will only have begun narrowing health inequalities.
'This is simply not ambitious enough. It is crucial that we see further and faster ambition in the months that come to narrow these avoidable differences in experiences of the NHS.'