Data shared with BBC Panorama shows that on average, waiting lists have grown by 50% in the most deprived parts of England since the start of the pandemic, compared with nearly 35% in the most affluent areas.
The research, conducted by the King’s Fund, also shows that people on waiting lists in poorer areas are nearly twice as likely as those in wealthier areas to wait more than one year for treatment.
The data looks at waiting lists from April 2020 to July 2021 (the latest available data) and includes planned hospital treatments such as knee and hip replacements, cataract surgery and other common procedures.
Sofia Jones, 36, has endometriosis - a gynaecological condition that leads to severe pelvic pain. Some days she could barely walk, having to stay in bed all day.
Sofia, who lives near Dundee, says she was told she’d have to wait two years for an NHS operation. But that felt too long to wait, so she and her partner decided to take out a £7,000 loan to pay to have the surgery in a private hospital.
'It was a really tough decision to go private," she says, “because we were having to put ourselves into debt. And that’s a lot of money. But you have to have some quality of life.”
A Scottish government spokesman said: “We’re sorry the unprecedented impact of the pandemic has lengthened waiting times for some patients. The pandemic has been the most significant challenge the NHS has faced in its 73-year history, and as in many health care systems across the world, the unavoidable pausing of non-urgent elective procedures has resulted in some delays.”
According to Anita Charlesworth, chief economist at the Health Foundation think tank: “The big worry about long waits leading people to have to go private is that it will increase inequalities, but also that many people will be forced to make awful trade-offs over their finances in order to be able to get access to the care that they need when they need it. And that goes against every grain of why we set up the health service.”
Aye, back ta th’ole days - if tha wants it tha mun pay fer it …
That statement is so typical of the SNP government up here in Scotland. By comparng the situation to other health care systems around the world makes it OK if that does not work then they will fall back and blame Westminster which always goes down well with the diehard SNP supporters.
I got invited to a private clinic to have my varicose veins done.
Went to see the surgeon on a Monday, was booked in for Covid test and pre-assessment the following Thursday when they decided that because I was a safety risk because due to throat cancer treatment my mouth does not open as wide as it used to. Their anaesthetist decided this was too much for him, it did not seem to matter that I have had at least 5 surgical procedures since cancer without issues so operation cancelled.
Shortly thereafter I received a letter from my health board telling me that my op is postponed indefinitely no matter that I am getting horrendous cramps in my feet.
Go private and have the operation done by the same surgeon as would have done it during the couple of days he works for the NHS, no thanks?
Beware!
The Conservatives are sneakingly taking the first steps to privatising the NHS.Soon we will have to pay to see a doctor. We will have to pay for any operations, We will have to pay for any prescriptions.We will have to pay for the Ambulance service.If they win the next election then we can wave Goodbye to much of the free service we are getting today.
The signs are there!!.
Privatisation has always been the Tory aim. They hate any thing owned by ‘The People’
The doctor you saw a while ago will not see you now but will talk to you over the phone. (Maybe) Go private and the doctor that would not see you face to face a while ago will see you now. Not only doctors but dentists, opiticians etc; are going along the same road.
I have tried to see both a doctor and a dentist but unless I go private the chances of seeing either face to face are zero.
