More than 100 patients will be offered the chance to have their surgery done privately on the mainland to clear the ‘considerable backlog’ of treatments the Isle of Wight NHS Trust now faces in the aftermath of the first wave of COVID-19.
A senior leader of the trust has spoken of the ‘difficult task’ they will face going forward with operations because of COVID restrictions.
During the pandemic, elective surgery, as well as other hospital procedures, were put on hold so the trust could provide care for patients most affected by the virus. This included building a field hospital and medical assessment unit as well as transferring some outpatient facilities to different areas of St Mary’s Hospital or out into the community.
As services start to resume, however, some patients could face a long wait as the trust tries to clear the ‘considerable backlog’ that has amassed due to the stopping of services.
Joe Smyth, the trust’s chief operating officer for acute and ambulance services, told a meeting of the Isle of Wight Council’s policy and scrutiny committee for health and social care, the trust was trying to restore services and get things back online to help clear the backlog, but it would take a while to be at full operational capacity.
He said:
“It is a difficult task because the restrictions imposed on us by Covid — the wearing of PPE and separating emergency flows from elective flows — means we are only at 66 per cent of the theatre capacity. That means the number of operations we can do is significantly reduced.
“Over the next month, we will be able to bring all the theatres online so we are going to do some work that will allow us to keep the separation of flows and keep people safe.
Article continues below this advertisement “Unfortunately, there is no cure or no vaccine at the moment, that means other restrictions to keep staff and patients safe will need to remain in place, which will slow the number of procedures that can go through theatres.”
Mr Smyth said the best-case scenario would be for elective capacity to be up to 70 per cent in September but that wasn’t enough to eat into the backlog.
The trust has been working with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight sustainability and transformation partnership and through the private sector, to see how it can get additional capacity to get the waiting lists down.
This means some 125 patients will be offered the chance to have their procedure done through private care on the mainland, and will be contacted by the NHS in the next few days.
Mr Smyth said:
“We are hoping we can get those people to take up that offer because the backlogs are significant.”
MRI and CT scans are also only operating at 70% capacity but Mr Smyth hopes with additional central funding, extra MRI and CT machines can be brought in so the current backlog will be cleared by March next year.
In the outpatient department, plans are being formed to ask patients to remain in their vehicles until they are called in for their appointment and to keep the virtual ways people have been seen through the height of the pandemic going to stop patients unnecessarily coming onto site.
Mr Smyth said:
“We will be writing out to all patients to explain what the situation is and where the waiting lists are — the reason we haven’t done it yet is because we are still working through what the implications are, trying to work out the lists and we are re-prioritising people on that list.
Cleared by March !!! You could be dead by then. They shouldn’t have stopped they should have carried on until it was necessary to stop but it wasn’t and now look ! Deaths are being put down as covid when you may have coughed before you died so doctors don’t have to come out. My mum lives on mainland and needed an urgent MRI but they weren’t doing them she paid privately and funnily enough had one within 3 days how is that right she shouldn’t have to pay. There’s more people dying of other illnesses now and still will be in coming months if they don’t get a grip and get on with doing their jobs which is supposed to be saving lives. People have had cancer treatments cancelled etc I can’t imagine what they must be going through.
Absolutely right. Even before this virus a few years back the surgeon saw me after another arthroscopy on my right knee he stated I needed a complete knee replacement. Then stated I was too young at the time (55yrs old) for the nhs. But if I went private he would fit me in a weeks time at £7000 . I won’t repeat on line what my answer. Still waiting to be old enough ( currently 68yrs old and still suffering). You can get blood test , hearing dept, podiatary, ent dept Etc., Etc. But can’t get like you state cancer treatment. Know someone who works at St. Mary’s and told me hospital wards virtually empty. What and where are all the doctors, consultants,specialists etc ? My heart goes out to all the people suffering at this moment in time and worried.
The that’s what I’ve heard from people who work there. My mum needed her ear syringing the doctors told her they’re not doing that at the moment but she can go to Boots or Specsavers ,pay £65 and they’ll do it! Before this everyone had a horror story about the NHS now we being asked to clap for them , for one’s that are running the opposite way from the covid wards . Yet shop workers etc have never stopped working even without ppe not knowing who may have it, firemen don’t not go into fires in case they die they’re doing their jobs and so should doctors.
Yes it’s a nuisance having ear wax build up and no doctor willing to do it. I suffer from it sometimes. I was recommended sodium bicarbonate ear drops by my local pharmacist and it does the job. Cost was £2.75 as against the £65 you were quoted. Try it. I personally can’t fault the NHS as everyone I’ve seen have done a great job under very difficult times. Yes so have the ambulance crews,firemen,bus drivers,shop workers etc.c etc.,Hope you mums MRI went well and she is in good health. Stay safe.
Boris stated the nhs will get the money they need too make it work.so where is it why all the finaciall excuses ontop of covid obv.my partner needs a shoulder replacement is on 46 cant do his high paid job anymore lifes limited and on hold .hosp are strapped for cash so give them more too get operations done faster
Can honestly see and symphasise with your situation. Don’t want to be too political but if the billions given to foreign aid was cut then some of the billions could be spent on the NHS first.
Especially as many of those land in receipt of such aid, now have burdened us with many of their former inhabitants, so we are paying for those here, and those yet to arrive.