A BBC investigation has revealed that NHS patients are facing further delays to receive treatment after being stuck on ‘hidden waiting lists’.
According to the report, some patients are getting stuck on waiting lists that do not appear in the official figures reported by the NHS. This is reportedly because patients who need ongoing care are not automatically included in the official figures – even if they face treatment delays.
At present, the published NHS waiting list stands at 7.6 million, but the backlog is thought to be much longer.
NHS England has said that hospitals should be monitoring and including patients who need ongoing care, but the BBC has found that this is not always the case.
BBC News spoke to patients who have waited months or even years for treatment such as cancer care, and spinal treatment and others who are at risk of going blind due to deteriorating eyesight.
One patient, who has wet AMD, which causes vision to deteriorate told the BBC his eight-weekly injections to protect his eyesight are often delayed, with the latest gap being more than twice as long as it should be.
“It’s really worrying. My eyesight is getting worse – and I do wonder if it is because of the delays,” he said.
The National NHS Guidance states that hospitals are meant to return patients facing unnecessary delays to the waiting list to ensure they are counted in the backlog figures. But when the BBC asked 30 NHS trusts how often this happened, only three could provide figures.
Karen Hyde, from Insource, a company that helps hospitals manage waiting lists, said the guidance was “commonly ignored”.
“This is a huge issue. The NHS does not incentivise hospitals to keep a close eye on these patients.
“We know there are long waits for those on the waiting list. For those not on the official waiting list, it is likely to be even worse – but the figures are not published.”
She said another problem was that some patients face being taken off the waiting list before treatment starts – this can be done when the patient is not ready for treatment or if they have refused it.
She said many hospitals had no reliable systems for tracking these patients, who could be simply “lost and delayed”.
According to the official figures, around 1.4 million treatments are recorded as beginning each month on average – with one in three affected by delays, according to data for 2022-23.
But there are more than 3 million other appointments and treatments carried out for patients who are receiving ongoing care and the amount who are experiencing delays is unknown.
The British Heart Foundation said heart failure patients were at particular risk as they needed regular check-ups to ensure treatment was working.
A delay to changes in treatment could lead to “permanent and irreversible damage”, the BHF’s Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan said.
Health Foundation data analytics director Charles Tallack said there was too little focus on these “hidden waits”.
“It’s clearly a major problem – delays are putting patients at risk. We need better monitoring and oversight to see exactly what is happening.”
An NHS England spokeswoman said:
“National guidance is clear that if a regular follow-up review or treatment becomes overdue and a patient is waiting longer than the time agreed with their clinician, they should be added back on to the waiting list and therefore would be included in published figures.”
Medical Negligence – Delays in treatment
If you have suffered a delay in medical treatment which has caused your condition to worsen or prolong your access to treatment, you may be entitled to claim the provider.
This could include delays in referrals, scans and other investigations. It can also include medical professionals overlooking symptoms or records that are re-reviewed at a later date and urgently acted upon once the delay has been identified.
Where might delays occur?
Medical delays can occur in all areas of medical practice. However, they are common in the following settings:
Medical conditions
Medical delays can occur in any medical condition however are very common in the following medical conditions:
The effects of medical delays
Medical delays can severely affect an individual’s life, treatment options, recovery period and in more serious cases the chance of survival.
If you have experienced medical delays which has caused your condition to worsen you may be eligible to make a medical delay claim.
How to make a medical delay claim
If you feel that you have been affected as a result of late diagnosis or incorrect or inappropriate treatment, then you may be entitled to bring about a compensation claim.
The team at Oakwood Solicitors Ltd will be able to give you free advice on the prospects of your case and whether you would be eligible to make a claim.
The patient who has been affected may be able to bring about a claim. However, it can also sadly be the case that the patient has passed as a result of the disease. In such instances, the executor of the estate or the next of kin/dependents may be able to bring about a claim.
Our specialist team will be able to discuss whether you have a right to bring about a claim, so if you or a loved one has been affected do not hesitate to contact us.
Further reading
Medical misdiagnosis or delay – Oakwood Solicitors
WHAT TO DO NEXT
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Carol Cook joined Oakwood Solicitors in May 2017 to lead the Medical Negligence Department.
Carol handles a wide range of clinical, cosmetic and dental negligence claims and has years of experi…
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