Virus causes delays of care in UK

LONDON — After nine months of waiting for surgery, Ruth Fawcett’s knee muscles wasted away, causing her joint to come loose in its socket and leaving her unable to walk without assistance.

“They’ve just stopped doing surgery for cases that they call nonlife-threatening, and when they start again, they will probably have to prioritize the most urgent cases,” she said, taking a deep sigh.

Fawcett, 82, is one of nearly 4 million people in England on the National Health Service waiting list for routine hospital treatments, which have been disrupted in recent months as hospitals have been forced to suspend services in favor of coronavirus cases.

Many patients like Fawcett are experiencing a significant deterioration in their health because of the delay and are growing anxious and frustrated because of the lack of guidance as to where they are placed on the list or how long they will have to wait before they can receive treatment.

Many fear that they could be pushed down the list if hospitals resume services on a triage basis.

The number of people on the waiting list for elective care fell from 3.94 million in April to 3.84 million in May, according to NHS figures published Thursday. However, the drop has been attributed to fewer people being referred for testing and treatment during the pandemic; numbers are expected to start climbing again when services resume.

With hospitals operating at reduced capacity to accommodate patients suffering from COVID-19, the waiting list could soar to 10 million people by the end of the year, according to the NHS Confederation, which represents hospitals and other health care providers.

“There is a real determination to rise to this challenge, but it will need extra funding and capacity, not least in rehabilitation and recovery services in the community, where so much of the coming demand will be felt,” said Niall Dickson, chief executive of the confederation.

The NHS rejects the confederation’s estimate, saying that waiting lists for both diagnostic tests and elective care have fallen since February.

“The overall waiting list has fallen by more than half a million since the onset of COVID, but as more patients come forward, local health services continue work to expand services safely,” an NHS spokesperson said.

Experts say there is a growing crisis in the provision of diagnostic tests, including magnetic resonance imaging and computerized tomography scans.

“The total number of patients waiting six weeks or more from referral for one of the 15 key tests is at almost 571,500 — 58.5 percent of the total number of patients waiting — which is shocking, given the target is 1 percent,” said Dr. Nick Scriven, former president of the Society for Acute Medicine.