Two new studies have highlighted the likelihood that waiting times for NHS surgery and other procedures are likely to continue to rise unless dramatic strategies are implemented to address the issue.
The Institute of Fiscal Studies, as reported by the BBC, has observed that up to 14 million people could be waiting for their procedures by the autumn of 2022.
Taking into account the number of people currently on NHS waiting lists, the number of people who seem to have delayed seeking help due to Covid-19, and allowing for the NHS to operate at a 90% capacity, the IFS reached the conclusion that, at best, waiting lists could reach 9 million by 2025. This more conservative scenario would, however, require significant financial investment and increased operating capacity.
The British Heart Foundation has further noted that, based on its own modelling, waiting times for heart surgery could increase by more than 40%, reaching 15,000 by the spring of 2022.
Professor Samani, medical director of BHF, is quoted by the BBC as commenting that “the government must act now to avoid more lives lost to treatable heart conditions.”
The government has provided the NHS with £1billion to address the issue of the waiting time backlog.
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