Patients in septic shock after Covid-19 surgery delays

68 per cent reported delays in investigations, with one saying patients faced long waits for ultrasound scans as ‘‘community laboratories are swamped.’’

GPS survey

A woman underwent ‘‘disfiguring’’ facial surgery after her melanoma diagnosis was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic impact.

It was one of many ‘‘major concerns’’ around non-coronavirus treatment raised by GPS in a survey of 115 doctors, nurses and practice managers carried out by the University of Auckland from September 17-24.

One GP said patients were in septic shock before seeing a doctor, while others faced ‘‘severe’’ delays in cancer treatment, the survey – the seventh since the virus emerged in New Zealand – showed.

Delays were far-reaching: affecting outpatient appointments and investigations such as colonoscopies, which was leading to delays in bowel cancer diagnosis, those surveyed said.

Of those surveyed, 68 per cent reported delays in investigations, with one saying patients faced long waits for ultrasound scans as ‘‘community laboratories are swamped’’.

A further 72 per cent said patients had been affected by elective surgery delays, with people being ‘‘bumped’’ off surgery lists.

Just shy of half (48 per cent) said they had seen delays in patients attending general practice. They reported issues with patients accessing a phone for telehealth or not having enough credit if they need to call the practice, while some older patients were still too scared to leave the house. Many others also reported delayed treatments leading to more serious disease.

Rising mental health issues and difficulty accessing services was also raised as a major concern by many, with waits described as ‘‘disastrous’’ and ‘‘very worrying’’.

One said youth mental health need has escalated, but the system is ‘‘well beyond capacity’’.

Others said they were seeing ‘‘flares’’ of chronic mental health issues across all ages, while some patients were having to give up health insurance due to redundancy, putting more pressure on the public system.

Doctors’ practices were also still feeling the sting of Covid-19 and testing, with slightly more than one third surveyed reporting challenges in getting PPE. One GP said they were concerned DHBS were going to stop supplying PPE, while 9 per cent surveyed said they were relying on homemade options.

Patients not presenting for Covid-19 tests when they have respiratory symptoms also remained an issue.