WAIT A YEAR FOR YOUR OP

Scots patients face lengthy delay for routine surgery as Covid-19 pandemic causes huge NHS backlog

THOUSANDS of patients in need of vital operations may have to wait for more than a year because the coronavirus pandemic has caused an NHS backlog.

Routine knee and hip replacements and cataract operations look set to be postponed until the end of 2021, according to a shock government report.

An NHS recovery group chaired by Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has forecast that Scotland’s in-patient and out-patient services will run at just half capacity until at least next spring.

The group also delivered the grim warning that life-saving emergency cancer treatments and mental health interventions will also be reduced.

Scotland’s NHS is battling to catch up with more than 55,000 operations that it was unable to carry out during lockdown, as well as preparing for a ‘winter rush’ on services.

Serious concerns have now been raised over the long-term impact of delayed operations for the elderly and those suffering from chronic health issues such as arthritis, musculoskeletal conditions and eye problems.

Opposition politicians have warned of a

looming health crisis and called for the Scottish Government to set out a clear plan to tackle the backlog.

Scottish Tory health spokesman Donald Cameron said: ‘It’s vital that the SNP government ensures resources are in place so patients who require important procedures aren’t left in the dark.’

Meanwhile, Scottish Labour health and social care spokesman Monica Lennon said she feared cuts to operations would result in a ‘tsunami’ of additional deaths.

She added: ‘Additional delays in orthopaedics and ophthalmology are very worrying. One of my constituents fears he will lose his sight because lockdown disrupted his planned operation.’

Around 15,000 knee and hip operations take place in Scotland each year, along with more than 40,000 cataract surgeries.

Minutes of a Scottish Government Mobilisation Recovery Group meeting on August 14 show that health boards are categorising different types of surgery based on ‘clinical priority’.

P1 is the highest clinical priority, P2 refers to cases requiring surgery within four weeks, P3 to surgery within three months and P4 to surgery beyond three months.

Orthopaedic and ophthalmologic operations fall into P4, meaning that those in need of knee and hip surgeries, as well as treatment for eye conditions such as cataracts and glaucoma, will wait longest.

The minutes say: ‘Information received to date estimates that, by the end of March 2021, patients in P1, P2 and P3 will be treated. However, those in P4 will wait longer. Lists will increase as demand is growing at a faster rate.’

Age Scotland’s chief executive Brian Sloan said: ‘Older people already face significant waiting times for routine procedures. Managing and living with pain can be debilitating and has a significant impact on a person’s physical, as well as mental, wellbeing. Further waits will be very hard for some to cope with.’

Last month it was disclosed that cancer ‘Further waits will be very hard for some to cope with’ surgery services will operate at 60 per cent of their previous capacity for the next 24 months ‘and perhaps longer’. But the minutes also reveal that life-saving emergency cancer treatment will not be as widely available either. While the paper acknowledges a 10 per cent rise in mental ill-health cases during the pandemic, psychological therapies are operating at 20 per cent lower capacity than last year.

The ability to restart surgeries is also ‘clearly impacted by continuing and necessary infection prevention and control’.

The NHS Golden Jubilee and NHS Louisa Jordan hospitals, as well as private hospitals, could ease the pressure. So far, 315 orthopaedic and plastic surgery patients have been seen at NHS Louisa Jordan – the £38 million Covid-19 field hospital at Glasgow’s Scottish Events Campus.

Private hospitals run by BMI Healthcare, Spire Healthcare and Nuffield Health have provided NHS patients with treatment for non virus-related ailments since March.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We recognise there is a human story behind each of these statistics and further delays can affect quality of life.

‘We have to balance demands and pressures, making the best decisions we can, none of which are easy or taken lightly.’