2,000 patients waiting over 4 months for surgery

MORE than 2,000 patients have been waiting longer than four months for surgery as Nuneaton’s hospital continues to battle its crippling backlog.

The Referral To Treatment (RTT) waiting list continues to plague the George Eliot Hospital.

Attempts have been made to try and ensure that patients get the surgery they need in the recommended government target time.

But the problems which first arose in October last year are continuing at the Eliot, with latest figures for June this year showing there are 2,060 people waiting more than 18 weeks for surgery.

Issues around diagnostic waiting times for hysteroscopy and colposcoy are causing waits for gynaecology surgery while staff annual leave and study leave is having an impact.

A spokesperson for the George Eliot Hospital said: “Patient care is our priority and we continue to tackle the backlog related to our referral to treat target.

“We are managing and prioritising long-waiting patients on a daily basis to ensure they are treated as soon as possible.”

At its height in October, 13,000 people were waiting for treatment, with some warned they may have to wait until July of this year.

While a large chunk of those waiting have now been dealt with, the number of patients waiting for more than 18 weeks has consistently missed the 92 per cent standard for since May of last year.