Department of Health (DoH) figures have shown that the number of patients still waiting to be seen at a hospital more than a year after being referred for treatment by GP has risen by 40% since January.

It has been revealed that there were 19,939 people still on an NHS waiting list in July having been referred for treatment more than 52 weeks earlier. In total, 2.61 million are still waiting for “routine” operations such as hip and knee replacements, while fewer are being seen within the 18-week “referral-to-treatment” (RTT) target.

These figures have prompted fresh claims that the NHS is struggling to maintain high levels of care whilst undergoing dramatic restructuring from health reforms in conjunction with demands to make £20 billion of efficiency savings within four years.

Under the previous Government, waiting lists and consequently times were slashed as funding was tripled and new hospitals were built under PFI schemes. NHS Managers were told to focus on beginning treatment within 18 weeks of patients being referred by their GPs, with the RTT target being a formally implemented measure.

Last year, the RTT was abolished as national target amid concerns it was distorting priorities, but Trusts were still told to keep this in mind as an informal measure. Since the relaxation, waiting times are reported to be on the rise. Critics of the RTT target say that hospitals focus on seeing as many patients as possible within 18 weeks, and those who are missed are left to languish for many more months, putting their health at risk.

Monthly figures from the DoH focus on the number of patients who were treated in the previous month and what proportion were seen within 18 weeks. In July, 302,285 Inpatients and 853,420 Outpatients completed their treatment, more than 90% of whom were seen within 18 weeks, however 7,262 more individuals were seen outside the target time compared with a year previous.

Health experts say the most revealing figure is the number of “incomplete pathways”, which indicate patients still waiting to undergo planned surgery. In total there were 2.612m patients still waiting in July, 90 per cent of whom have been waiting fewer than 18 weeks. The statistics also show there are now 19,939 who have been waiting more than 52 weeks in incomplete pathways. This figure is a 40% increase on January’s numbers, where just 14,222 were awaiting surgery, which had fallen to 12,530 in May.

It has been argued that the rise could be attributed to a number of other factors, such as some Trusts neglecting to submit wait data over the last few months. Furthermore, due to the increasing focus on patient choice, individuals may increasingly elect to wait outside of the recommended target dates to fit with increasingly hectic lifestyles, or wait longer to receive specific treatments in a setting of their choice.

Dr Rob Findlay, an expert on waiting times who runs the consultancy Gooroo Ltd, said that the long waiters were in their position because once they had exceeded 18 weeks, they had no longer become a priority for treatment. He said that clearing this backlog would only be a few hours work for the NHS if they “put their minds to it”. The NHS should be looking at overall waits including long waiters, and not just those with short waits, he asserted.

Having an accurate knowledge waiting times for both short and long wait patients in order to maintain efficient working practises is pivotal when striving towards high quality patient care. An Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system such as Therapy Manager offers simple waiting list management for all Outpatients awaiting initial contacts, and produces outputs with provide an accurate and real-time picture on the number of patients waiting and the duration across each service.

Original Source The Telegraph

About Pathway Software

Pathway Software (www.pathwaysoftware.com) specialises in the design and development of patient information systems for Allied Health professionals.

Its flagship product, Therapy Manager, is an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system specifically designed for Therapy Services to provide decision makers with the ability to track and manage clinical activity and analyse cost of care by patient, episode or service. The system also demonstrably reduces administration time and the costs of managing Therapy Services.