1 month ago
The NHS's 'eternal winter' was coming laid bare by a forensic trust-by-trust study of waiting lists, A&E pressures and cancer attraction referral times.
Two-thirds of patients astatine England's busiest hospitals person been waiting 18 weeks for treatment, MailOnline found.
Under nan swamped wellness service's ain rulebook, anyone referred for curen by their GP has nan ineligible correct to beryllium seen wrong that timeframe.
Some patients person been told they look two-year waits, giving them nary action but to recreation to Lithuania for regular ops. Others person cashed successful pensions and raided family savings to hit lengthy NHS queues.
Meanwhile, MailOnline's probe revealed less than a 3rd of patients attending A&E are seen wrong 4 hours astatine nan country's worst-performing trusts.
One successful 4 moreover person to hold much than 12 hours astatine immoderate NHS hospitals, illustrating nan grade of nan situation which has seen patients forced to slumber connected nan level aliases sat connected trolleys successful infirmary corridors arsenic they hold for a bed.
This website has put nan astir up-to-date capacity information into a useful searchable tool, allowing you to spot precisely really your spot is faring.
Our study comes arsenic a study yesterday revealed public restitution pinch nan NHS — a work that gets astir £160billion-a-year — has plunged to an all-time low.
Two-thirds of patients astatine England's busiest hospitals person been waiting 18 weeks for treatment, MailOnline found. Under nan swamped wellness service's ain rulebook, anyone referred for curen by their GP has nan ineligible correct to beryllium seen wrong that timeframe
Fewer than 1 successful 4 group were happy pinch nan wellness work successful 2023, pinch Brits complaining astir agelong waits for infirmary attraction arsenic good arsenic difficulties successful securing a GP appointment.
Nationally, nan waiting database for regular treatment, specified arsenic hep and knee replacements, stood astatine astir 7.58million successful January.
Backlogs soared successful nan aftermath of Covid, pinch onslaught action and staffing crises adding to nan problem, contempt efforts and Rishi Sunak's promise to slash queues.
Around 3.3million (57 per cent) of nan patients stuck successful nan strategy had been waiting astatine slightest 18 weeks.
NHS guidelines group retired that 92 per cent of patients should beryllium treated wrong 18 weeks of being referred.
Yet conscionable a trio of 135 NHS trusts — nan Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, nan Christie and Royal Marsden — met this target. All 3 are master sites who woody pinch crab patients.
MailOnline recovered queues, successful January, were worst astatine Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
What do nan latest NHS capacity figures show?
The wide waiting database shrunk by 28,000 to 7.58million successful January.
There were 376 group waiting much than 2 years to commencement curen astatine nan extremity of January, up connected nan 282 successful December.
The number of group waiting much than a year to commencement infirmary curen was 321,394, down somewhat connected nan 337,450 successful nan erstwhile month.
Some 44,417 group had to wait much than 12 hours in A&E departments successful England successful February. The fig is down connected nan 54,308 logged successful January.
A full of 139,458 group waited astatine slightest 4 hours from nan determination to admit to admittance successful February, down from 158,721 successful January.
Just 70.9 per cent of patients were seen wrong 4 hours at A&Es past month. NHS standards group retired that 95 per cent should beryllium admitted, transferred aliases discharged wrong nan four-hour window.
In February, nan mean category 1 consequence time – calls from group pinch life-threatening illnesses aliases injuries – was 8 minutes and 25 seconds. The target clip is 7 minutes.
Ambulances took an mean of 36 minutes and 20 seconds to respond to category 2 calls, specified arsenic burns, epilepsy and strokes. This is much than doubly arsenic agelong arsenic nan 18 infinitesimal target.
Response times for category 3 calls – specified arsenic precocious stages of labour, non-severe burns and glucosuria – averaged 2 hours, 4 minutes and 12 seconds. Nine successful 10 ambulances are expected to get to these calls wrong 2 hours.
Only 34.5 per cent of patients connected its waiting database had yet to breach nan 18-week threshold.
It intends nan others — astir 23,000 patients — had been waiting astatine slightest 4 months to beryllium seen.
A spokesperson for nan spot told MailOnline it had seen 'a important summation successful request for services, pinch urgent referrals expanding by astir 80 per cent since earlier nan pandemic and crab referrals up by almost 70 per cent during nan aforesaid period'.
They added: 'The infirmary has made important advancement successful nan past fewer months to trim waiting times crossed each specialities and is committed to ensuring that patients are safely seen and treated arsenic quickly arsenic possible.'
Similarly debased levels were seen at James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust successful Norfolk (41.4 per cent) and University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (43 per cent).
For comparison, nan aforesaid fig stood astatine 84 per cent astatine nan Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, which was nan best-performing non-specialist trust.
Before nan pandemic deed successful February 2020, 4.4million patients were successful nan backlog. Just 1,600 of those had been stuck successful nan strategy for complete a year.
Waiting lists rocketed aft nan consequence to coronavirus forced hospitals to cancel tens of thousands of regular operations and move complete full wards to patients pinch nan disease.
The number of year-long waits has since spiralled 200-fold to complete 320,000.
The wellness work has been told to destruct each waits of much than a twelvemonth by nan extremity of March.
Last year, 1 diligent was forced to recreation to Lithuania to acquisition a hep cognition aft being told she would person to hold up to 3 months for an x-ray and up to 2 years for surgery.
Annabel Harris, from Little Dunham adjacent Fakenham, Norfolk, sought proposal from a backstage infirmary but was told it would costs successful nan region of £17,000.
The 58-year-old was past recommended a session in Lithuania by her mother whose dentist had a hep replacement there.
Mrs Harris, who spent around £7,000 connected nan room and 2 weeks of physiotherapy, told BBC News that making nan determination seemed 'a spot drastic and a spot scary really'.
'But you get to nan point, that hopeless position, erstwhile you can't hold 2 years, aliases possibly nan different rumor of uncovering £17,000 and taking retired a loan', she added.
Primary schoolhouse coach Fiona Hinton was also placed connected nan urgent NHS waiting database to region her gall bladder successful 2022. She was informed, however, 'it mightiness return 18 months to 2 years', she told BBC News.
Ms Hinton, who lives adjacent Norwich, chose nan session successful Lithuania arsenic the price was a 3rd of nan costs of a UK backstage clinic.
'They inquire you to enactment for truthful galore days afterwards, and I saw nan advisor afterwards,' she said.
Annabel Harris (pictured), from Little Dunham adjacent Fakenham, Norfolk, sought proposal from a backstage infirmary but was told it would costs successful nan region of £17,000. The 58-year-old was past recommended a session successful Lithuania by her mother whose dentist had a hep replacement there
Primary schoolhouse coach Fiona Hinton was besides placed connected nan urgent NHS waiting database to region her gall bladder successful 2022. She was informed, however, 'it mightiness return 18 months to 2 years', she told BBC News. Ms Hinton, who lives successful Higham adjacent Norwich, chose nan session successful Lithuania arsenic nan value was a 3rd of nan costs of a UK backstage clinic
She said: 'They inquire you to enactment for truthful galore days afterwards, and I saw nan advisor afterwards. I past had a caregiver check-up for 5 days and past I flew back, pinch an aftercare scheme and telephone calls. Amazing level of attraction retired there, can't responsibility them'
MailOnline's probe revealed less than a 3rd of patients attending A&E are seen wrong 4 hours astatine nan country's worst-performing trusts. One successful 4 moreover person to hold much than 12 hours astatine immoderate NHS hospitals, illustrating nan grade of nan situation which has seen patients forced to slumber connected nan level aliases sat connected trolleys successful infirmary corridors arsenic they hold for a bed
'I past had a caregiver check-up for 5 days and past I flew back, pinch an aftercare scheme and telephone calls. Amazing level of attraction retired there, can't responsibility them.'
Meanwhile, marathon runner Gemma Craze was forced to usage her mother's savings to screen nan costs of hep replacement room aft a two-year wait.
The 40-year-old, from Truro successful Cornwall, saw her GP successful 2019 aft abruptly being deed pinch symptom successful her hep and leg.
X-ray scans revealed she was suffering with hip dysplasia, wherever nan shot and socket of nan associated aren't formed properly. It heightens the risk of arthritis, and she was put connected nan waiting database for a double hep replacement.
After a near hep replacement successful March 2021 she was put connected different waiting database for her correct hep but 'couldn't look different two-year wait'.
Her mother offered to salary and she saw a backstage advisor successful May 2021 and had nan room wrong a month.
'If it wasn't for mum I mightiness still beryllium waiting for that 2nd hep replacement', she said.
Separately, latest NHS England information for February shows that nary infirmary spot saw each emergency section attendees wrong 4 hours.
The original target, group successful 2010, was 95 per cent.
Just 1 spot — Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust — saw astatine slightest 9 successful 10 patients wrong this timeframe, but still came beneath nan goal.
Eight of nan full 122 trusts met nan wellness service's weakened target of 76 per cent, however.
Marathon runner Gemma Craze was forced to usage her mum's savings to screen nan costs of hep replacement room aft a two-year wait. The 40-year-old, from Truro successful Cornwall, saw her GP successful 2019 aft abruptly being deed pinch symptom successful her hep and leg. X-ray scans revealed she was suffering pinch hep dysplasia, wherever nan shot and socket of nan associated aren't formed properly. It heightens nan consequence of arthritis, and she was put connected nan waiting database for a double hep replacement
After a near hep replacement successful March 2021 she was put connected different waiting database for her correct hep but 'couldn't look different two-year wait'. Her Mum offered to salary and she saw a backstage advisor successful May 2021 and had nan room wrong a month
This period was implemented successful December 2022 pinch each trusts expected to deed it by March 2024.
At nan worst performing trust, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, 7 successful 10 patients were seen extracurricular 4 hours. That information is each based connected 'trolley waits' — nan clip betwixt doctors deciding a diligent needs to beryllium admitted and them getting a bed.
Figures that seizure patients from nan infinitesimal they get astatine A&E alternatively overgarment an moreover bleaker picture.
Under that method, over a 4th were near waiting astatine slightest 12 hours before being admitted, transferred aliases discharged at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Experts person agelong warned that Covid-induced delays, a immense staffing situation and a twelvemonth of devastating onslaught action has fuelled nan problem.
In a motion of nan dire pressures facing nan NHS, 1 A&E diligent successful Kent past twelvemonth told really he was made to strengthen a 45-hour hold for a ward furniture to go available.
Steven Wells, a 31-year-old forklift driver, was vomiting humor erstwhile he arrived at the William Harvey infirmary successful Ashford, Kent astatine 1am connected November 13.
But he was not fixed a furniture connected a ward until 10pm connected November 14.
Sharing a image of him sleeping connected nan floor, Mr Wells said: 'It was honestly for illustration a warfare area astatine times. It makes maine not want to spell backmost to hospital, arsenic nan past clip was truthful traumatic and embarrassing.
'You person group looking down connected you, stepping complete you, and each you want is to conscionable beryllium looked after.'
He added: 'They request much full-time due unit successful place. There's nary excuse astatine each for nan measurement I was treated.'
Separate NHS figures connected crab waiting times besides showed dire capacity stats.
NHS guidelines authorities 85 per cent of crab patients should beryllium seen wrong 2 months of an urgent crab referral. But this target has not been met nationally since December 2015.
Latest disposable information shows conscionable 13 per cent of each trusts (19 of 145) deed nan nationalist target successful January.
Figures were amended for nan different 2 targets, which measures nan proportionality of patients told they person crab wrong 28 days of an urgent referral and nan proportionality receiving curen wrong 31 days of a determination to treat.
It comes arsenic nationalist restitution pinch the NHS fell to nan lowest level connected grounds today amid agelong waits for infirmary care.
Fewer than 1 successful 4 (24 per cent) group were happy pinch nan wellness work successful 2023, down 5 percent points connected nan erstwhile twelvemonth alone.
It is nan lowest level since records began successful 1983, according to latest findings from nan British Social Attitudes Survey.
The study, of 3,374 group successful England, Wales and Scotland, is seen arsenic nan gold-standard trial of really group consciousness astir nan NHS.
More than half (52 per cent) are now dissatisfied pinch nan NHS, nan highest proportionality since nan study began.
The main reasons for dissatisfaction are waiting times for GP and infirmary appointments (71 per cent), followed by unit shortages (54 per cent) and nan Government not spending capable money connected nan NHS (47 per cent) — contempt grounds investment.
