Nearly one in three adults with a disability experienced additional delays in their NHS treatment this winter compared to the general population, the report says.
This group was among those who were more likely to have problems getting health care between November and February, with younger people, people living in disadvantaged areas, and people with symptoms of depression also experiencing additional expectations.
According to an Office for National Statistics (ONS) report, about 31% of adults with disabilities reported persistent delays while waiting for a hospital appointment, examination, or treatment in the NHS. In comparison, about one in five adults (21 percent) report the same problem.
The report says that one in four people (25 percent) with moderate to severe depressive symptoms also experienced delays in accessing tests and appointments.
Jackie O’Sullivan, executive director of communications, advocacy and activism at Mencap, a learning disability charity, tells I: “The latest ONS data paints a horrific picture of how dire the situation is for people with disabilities who are currently struggling to access healthcare.
“Unfortunately, we know that people with intellectual disabilities are more likely to die preventably and are often decades younger than the general population. Delays in care and treatment, as well as additional barriers to accessing treatment, even when they are on a waiting list, have long been considered the main reason for this disparity.
“People with intellectual disabilities have the right to access quality and timely care that meets their needs and helps them lead happy and healthy lives. The government must ensure that the medical needs of people with intellectual disabilities are met as quickly as possible to prevent an increase in the number of people at risk of preventable and premature death.”
The ONS defines an adult with a disability as a person who has a physical or mental health condition or illness that has lasted or is expected to last 12 months or more and that affects their ability to perform activities of daily living.
Just over 7.2 million people in England are awaiting non-urgent NHS surgery, according to the latest figures for February.
NHS waiting lists are unlikely to shrink this year, and the backlog is unlikely to close significantly by mid-2024, although this is one of Rishi Sunak’s priorities for this year, according to a recent study. Ongoing strikes among nurses, doctors and other NHS workers are hampering the ability of hospitals to put themselves on waiting lists.
The National Health Service is struggling to increase the number of people it removes from its waiting lists every month due to continued pressure from Covid-19, although there have been signs of improvement over the past month, the Institute for Financial Studies (IFS) notes.
If the NHS hits its targets, the official waiting list is expected to peak at 7.3 million in April. But there are warnings that it could reach 7.9 million, with a peak in July if capacity targets are not met.
Long wait times also affect people’s mental health, making their physical health more likely to deteriorate further.
A 59-year-old woman who spoke to the ONS said: “The last few months I’ve had trouble getting doctor visits, but I’ve finally been seen… the unusually long wait for surgery is sometimes worrying when I think about it too much.”
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the NHS waiting list has grown at an unprecedented rate. However, the waiting list has been steadily growing since 2012. Before the pandemic, there were more than 4.5 million people on the waiting list as of December 2019, almost two million more than in December 2012, an increase of 74 percent.
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services said: “Shortening waiting lists is one of the government’s top priorities and NHS England has successfully achieved its first goal in our plan to virtually eliminate waiting times of over two years and has reduced waiting times by 78 days. weeks have decreased by almost 84. percent since September 2021.
“NHS trusts across England are using innovative surgical centers and robotic surgical systems to increase the number of surgeries and improve patient outcomes. We have also opened 100 community diagnostic centers, and since July 2021, over 3.6 million tests, checks and scans have been performed at these one-stop centers.”
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.