The crushing cost of lockdown
Year of pandemic curbs will leave ‘lasting scars’ on the NHS – and us
AN unprecedented audit of the effect of the pandemic has exposed the devastating impact on non-Covid care.
Almost a year on from the day we first locked down, analysis by a string of charities reveals the toll on patients with cancer, heart disease, arthritis and dementia.
NHS bosses last night admitted the disruption is ‘ eye-wateringly clear’ and will leave ‘lasting scars’. Thousands of preventable deaths have already occurred, with many more likely to follow, and others will be left disabled or in crippling pain as a result of the past year.
Hospitals cancelled swathes of ‘non-urgent’ operations to focus on coronavirus, while GPs switched to phone and video conancy sultations. Screening programmes for deadly diseases such as breast cancer were put on hold.
In addition, many ill people delayed seeking help after ministers told the public to stay at home to protect the NHS.
The Mail’s audit of the Covid consequences paints a grim picture, with England recording the largest annual fall in life expectforced since the Second World War. Waiting lists have already climbed to record highs – and are expected to get worse as more people come forward after the current lockdown ends.
Patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks for treatment after an NHS referral – but more than 300,000 have been waiting for over a year. Health chiefs warn the backlog will take years to clear, with think-tanks predicting a decade of disruption after a crisis that has undone years of progress.
Professor Neil Mortensen, president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: ‘The job facing surgeons and the teams they work with is huge. It will take years rather than months to catch up.’
The number of face-to-face GP consultations fell by almost 80million. Millions also missed out on cancer checks, while tens of thousands missed out on dementia care. Many others missed heart operations, diabetes checks, rehabilitation for asthma and lung disease and stroke treatment – leaving many with disabilities that could have been avoided.
Measures intended to combat coronavirus have also played havoc with the nation’s mental health, with friends and families
‘Long waits with no end in sight’ ‘Dying from treatable illness’
apart and many workers left in limbo – or worse.
The number of adults suffering depression doubled during lockdown, as did the number of urgent referrals for children with eating disorders. In addition, the number of dental checks was cut in half.
Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, said the impact of the pandemic on nonCovid patients has been ‘profound’. She added: ‘Some have stayed away from the NHS, but it has been more common for people to try to access care but find it is not available.
‘The result for many is long waits in pain and discomfort, prolonged uncertainty and anxiety, worse outcomes from operations when they are eventually performed, and in some cases people dying from what would otherwise have been treatable illness.’
Patients needing ‘non-urgent’ hip and knee replacements have consistently seen some of the longest waits. Tracey Loftis of the charity Versus Arthritis said: ‘Thousands of people are enduring long waits with no end date in sight. We have heard from people who have lost jobs, are unable to care for relatives and are seeking help for depression because of the debilitating pain they are in.’
Danny Mortimer – chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents NHS organisations – said: ‘The disruption of the pandemic is eye-wateringly clear and it will take many years before the system can return to any sense of normality. The pandemic will leave lasting scars on the NHS after the immediate threat subsides.’
An NHS spokesman said: ‘Since the beginning of the pandemic the NHS has urged people to come forward if they’re concerned for their health and has offered care to everyone who needs it.’