The number of patients now waiting for elective surgery who have waited between 40 and 52 weeks or more stands at 961, according to the Isle of Wight NHS Trust’s chief operating officer, Joe Smyth.
As a result of the first national lockdown, the backlog for elective surgery at the Isle of Wight NHS Trust increased as all non-emergency procedures were stopped. Since then steps have been taken to reduce the waiting lists and get people treated as soon as possible, in safety, but COVID measures have caused challenges in getting that backlog reduced.
The good news is that you won’t have to wait 94 weeks for elective surgery any more…the bad news is someone has still been waiting for 78 weeks. Operation theatres have now opened at the weekend though with more surgical teams being brought in to work.
Mr Smyth has described the waiting list figures as ‘a moveable feast’ as more people will either come up into the ’40 to 51 week’ and ’52 week or more’ brackets after continuing to wait, while some will be knocked off the list after having their treatment.
Speaking at a meeting of the Isle of Wight NHS Trust Board meeting, Mr Smyth did share good news, as services made progress — the longest-waiting patient for surgery has been taken off the list after waiting 94 weeks for their procedure. Now, the person at the top of the waiting list on the admitted surgery pathway has been waiting for 78 weeks.
Other steps around St Mary’s Hospital to reduce waiting times include the introduction of new MRI and CT scanners to recover services to be at and above pre-COVID operational potential.
Yet fools still clapped them despite many doing less or nothing.
I know several really worried awaiting just to see a specialist for months now. Disgusting especially as we are one of the lowest CV case hospitals.
Just WHAT are all these doctors, specialists etc doing?
A dreadful state of affairs now. Anyone ‘worried’ can get simply a host of pleasant yet pointless, costly listening ears, yet try to get any medical attention and we are put off and the wait now is an outrage.
They should cut down on doing the Samaritans workload, and use the cash instead to reduce the backlog of medical procedures which IF done would ease much of the mental stress out there too.
Several elderly at the home I work at can’t get to have their operations now.
They being old and not from the sno w f lake generation get on best they can, but sad to see them in pain.
Yet as said, the NHS are wasting a fortune on so called mental health, when someone sat at the end of a phone, paid to hear whatever woes, can’t ‘do’ anything that a friend, the milkman or the cat couldn’t do.
The NHS cash should be used to treat the elderly in pain first, sno w f lakes will not melt until Summer at least.
We dented our saucepans for nothing.
The few cases we have had here and those that risked their well being to help deserved respect, yet try getting to see a doctor, or like someone I know waiting to see an eye specialist.
People don’t want to be able to phone a sympathy line, they need to be seen by an expert not a mumsie unqualified ear.
Same at the doctors the secretarys now ‘decide’ IF you are to be seen by the illusive doctor.
If this was a private health service I would go elsewhere now.
Never before, even in wartime conflict when bombs were falling on NHS staff, has so many innocents, been abandoned by so few.
Sad as most all of the staff are really nice people, but the running of our health service and priorities seriously need in depth help. Why should cv be the only game in town, even when, as here, there are few victims on that side, but growing masses now in pain, and distress for every other ailment.
Yet if you are just ‘worried’ they fall over themselves, so long as it is just picking up a phone. Total shambles now.
Wait, weren’t doctors begging for a wage increase a few months back? What for?
I would not trust them to operate on me any day !