NHS waits for cancer care, A and E and operations worsens across the UK

Nationally England, Wales and Northern Ireland have not made one of their 3 key targets for the last 18 months with only Scotland meeting any of them.

Locally only one hospital, Luton and Dunstable NHS Trust, has managed to meet all 3 of its key targets each time over the last 12 months.

The Hospital quotes, as reasons for failing to meet targets, is due to a shortage of doctors and nurses, a lack of money and inadequate room in A and E departments meaning that patients cannot be seen quickly enough. Most people are seen within 4 hours but there has been a doubling of patients waiting longer than that in A and E.

Why is this?

Professor Madhusudan, Head of cancer treatment at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust said there were simply not enough doctors and staff. ” We have a team of 22 fantastic oncologists who are working very hard to do the best they can under what is quite a stressful situation, but there is a limit to what can be done, pointing out that there are 5000 new cases a year at his hospital trust.”

The chair of the British Medical Association, Dr Chaand Nagpaul, indicated that the fact that there are now over 500,000 people on hospital waiting lists, compared to 230,000 four years ago was ” unacceptable “. For many patients this would have a “real impact on their treatment and outcome “.

Efforts are being made to shift the balance of care away from hospitals and into the community and it must be appreciated that with an ageing population health systems worldwide face similar pressures.

Simon Ramshaw, Solicitor with Williamsons Solicitors, recognised the hard work that the NHS do in very difficult circumstances, but just occasionally, the high standards which the NHS set itself may not be met, which for the family involved can have catastrophic consequences.

At Williamsons Solicitors we have the skills, knowledge and staff to help you win your clinical negligence case. Our specialist Clinical Negligence Department has more than 35 years’ combined experience in the field and we are recognised by top industry bodies including Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA) and The Law Society.

If you have been affected by a case similar to this, please contact Simon Ramshaw on 01482 323697.