Number waiting 36 weeks for ops up more than 50%

NUMBERS of people waiting more than 36 weeks for surgery in Wales soared by more than 50% from 28,000 to more than 45,000 in the first month of lockdown, writes Abbie Wightwick.

The figures covering the end of March to the end of April were obtained after the Western Mail asked the Welsh Government how many people had had elective operations delayed.

On total numbers waiting for operations, the Welsh Government said waiting lists overall had fallen since the pandemic halted normal working in the NHS, because people were not being referred.

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “To tackle the increased workload on NHS staff caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the monitoring and targeting of waiting lists was relaxed at the end of March.

“However, evidence from the health boards suggests the number of people waiting more than 36 weeks for surgery increased from around 28,000 at the end of March to around 45,000 at the end of April. “Health boards have plans for safely reintroducing routine procedures as soon as possible.

“Information on the total number of patients currently on a waiting list is unavailable but we believe the total number has fallen, due mainly to fewer people being referred into secondary healthcare.”

Data on the total number of elective operations delayed as a result of the pandemic is not available, as data for May won’t be received until the end of June.

But the Welsh Government added that information comparing the number of elective admissions this year to last year shows that in March and April 2020 there were nearly 21,200 fewer surgical and midwifery admissions compared to March and April 2019.

Millions of operations have reportedly been cancelled in England and across the UK.

When we asked NHS Wales chief executive Dr Andrew Goodall at Thursday’s daily Welsh Government briefing how many operations had been cancelled in Wales, how long it would take to clear the backlog and at what cost, he replied: “We have put a real focus on looking at improving a variety of performance measures in recent years, including waiting times. Progress has been disrupted significantly.”

He added: “I can’t answer directly the question about cancellation numbers. This is going to take some time to work through.”