Nearly one in three households are suffering from NHS backlogs as a new wave of trainee doctor strikes looms, research shows.
Research carried out in the days before Christmas shows that almost a third of adults are waiting for treatment on the NHS or care from someone they live with.
This follows research carried out and published by campaign group 38 Degrees. IThirty percent of the 1,000 adults surveyed said they or their family members were on a waiting list for health care.
They said they would likely wait until the holidays for treatment.
More than a quarter (28 percent) of victims said they expected “pain and discomfort” while waiting for treatment.
A third (33 per cent) said they would be worried about a loved one’s health this Christmas as they have to wait for treatment, while a quarter (25 per cent) said they expected to be “worried about ‘their own health'”. “.
Of those surveyed, 17 percent said they “won’t be able to travel to spend time with loved ones over Christmas because of my wait.”
The study’s findings come as more than 10,000 healthy patients in England were forced to stay in hospital over Christmas due to a lack of care on the NHS.
NHS England data released on Friday showed 18,669 hospital patients were assessed fit for discharge on Christmas Eve, but only 8,667 were discharged.
And the latest statistics, published last month, showed the total number of cases awaiting non-urgent treatment in England in October was 7.71 million.
While the figure is down 40,000 since September, it is still higher than the 7.21 million at the start of 2023, despite Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowing to cut waiting lists as part of his five key promises.
A strike planned for this week in the longest trainee doctors’ strike in history is expected to cause further delays in clearing the NHS backlog.
Health workers and the government are not too optimistic that the six-day strike, which begins Wednesday morning, can be avoided.
In November I reported doctors’ concerns that without additional funding, NHS waiting lists could affect 9 million patients in the next two years, the equivalent of one in six people on the waiting list.
The survey of 1,014 adults in the UK was conducted using Focaldata.
Matthew McGregor, chief executive of 38 Degrees, said the findings showed “millions of families’ celebrations are being marred by concerns about the health of someone awaiting life-saving care” over the holidays.
“At the start of 2023, Rishi Sunak promised to cut waiting times on the NHS, but under his leadership these figures have risen and as a result, Christmas is being ruined for patients and their families across the country,” Mr McGregor said.
“Almost all of us know someone who is waiting for treatment on the NHS. That’s why, at the start of an election year, all parties must commit to developing a contingency plan that will reduce waiting times while supporting our NHS workers. Rishi Sunak is currently reneging on his promise to scrap lists, with hundreds of thousands more people on waiting lists than when he became Prime Minister.
An NHS spokesman said: “During the strike break over the last ten weeks, the overall waiting list has fallen by almost 200,000 people and NHS teams have worked hard to reduce the number of people waiting by 20 per cent in 65 weeks.”
“The six days of strikes in a row, starting on Wednesday, represents the longest strike in the history of the NHS.
“It is clear that there will be an impact on routine care over the festive period – on top of days already disrupted by strikes – but healthcare colleagues continue to go above and beyond for patients and the NHS remains committed to ensuring long waiting times in the new year.” .
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.