Deprived areas face longest wait for vital surgery

PEOPLE living in poorer regions of England – which include the most deprived parts of the Westcountry – face longer waits for routine NHS care, according to new analysis.

The NHS has been told by a watchdog to ensure people have “interim support” in place while it tackles the record backlog of care built up during the pandemic.

People waiting for common treatments such as knee and hip replacements, and cataract surgery have described the pain and mental strain of waiting.

Leading NHS figures and health commentators have expressed concern that inequalities seen across healthcare have deepened significantly during the pandemic.

Despite the efforts of NHS staff during the pandemic, the backlog has grown to 5.61 million people – almost one in every 10 people in England.

Now new analysis from The Kings Fund health think tank, shared with the PA news agency and Panorama, shows people living in the most deprived areas in England are 1.8 times as likely to experience a wait of over one year for hospital care compared with people from the most affluent.

Seven per cent of patients on waiting lists in the most deprived areas of the country have been waiting a year or more for treatment compared with 4% of those in the least deprived.

And the waiting lists appear to be growing faster in the poorest regions, which includes parts of Cornwall and areas in Devon and Dorset.

From April 2020 to July 2021, waiting lists have grown by 55% on average in the most deprived parts of the country compared with 36% in the richest areas.

The analysis comes as a poll from health and social care champion Healthwatch England showed the toll the waiting list is having on people’s physical and mental health.

A survey of 1,600 people who were either on the waiting list themselves or had a loved one in need of treatment, found that 54% said it was affecting their mental health while 57% said the wait was affecting their physical health.

Almost half (46%), said they or their relatives did not receive enough information, or any at all, about when they can expect their treatment and 64% were not given a contact to turn to while awaiting care.

And 48% did not receive any support to manage their condition during their wait.

Almost one in five (18%) have already gone private for treatment or are considering it, but 47% said that paying for private treatment “was not an option”.

Healthwatch England has set out a series of recommendations to the NHS in England which involve improving communication with people on the waiting list.

It also called on health chiefs to put in place “interim support” for those waiting, such as physiotherapy, pain relief and mental health support.

The figures will feature on Panorama tonight at 7.35pm on BBC One and on BBC iPlayer.