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Original poster

Will other parts of the NHS be overwhelmed now?

115 replies

Crosswordocelot · 31/05/2020 09:34

Part of lockdown was to protect the NHS and to stop everyone getting cv19 at the same time thus needing treatment.
But now I'm wondering about all the things that have been put on hold....wont those dept be swamped and overwhelmed when they need to "catch up" with 3 months of missed appointments and treatments? And will some people need more longer, more invasive or intensive treatment for something if treated at the first stage was minor but if left could become a bigger problem....?
I was talking to a dentist recently and they didnt know when they would be back to work but some colleagues had been made redundant. But they were talking about dental problems which would be a lot worse/harder to fix if left untreated.
As well as cancer patients.
I dont mean that lockdown shouldn't have happened but I'm just thinking that parts of the NHS will be overloaded with a backlog of patients for many more months.

OP posts:
Socksontheradiatoragain · 31/05/2020 21:49

@highmarkingsnowbile there were a lot of excess deaths from flu 2017/18. I took the pp to mean that, not the Spanish flu of over 100 years ago.

Chesneyhawkes1 · 31/05/2020 21:59

My treatment wasn't cancelled so I think it goes by area maybe. I was diagnosed early March so maybe just snuck in, in time.

I'm off to a BMI hospital on Tuesday for a 5 day stay for the last part of treatment.

The only bits I've done over the phone have been my weekly reviews, which makes sense.

Pebblexox · 31/05/2020 22:06

Yes I believe so. My daughter is under a cardiology team, genetic team, orthopaedics, physiotherapy and paediatrics. We haven't had a single appointment in this time, which is completely understandable. However from speaking to her physio a couple weeks ago, she said to us that when to time came to start seeing her again it would be increasingly difficult to see her as regularly as we have been due to a backlog of patients before covid, and new referrals that will be coming in.
It's a scary thought as to how this pandemic will have affected other medical needs.

clairethewitch70 · 31/05/2020 22:19

All physiotherapy referrals and existing patients have been discharged and GP's told to re-refer them back at my nearest hospital in Wales. The whole department discharged all it's patients and it never even made the press. And yes it is true not a rumour.

SecretSpAD · 31/05/2020 22:46

It is very disturbing how a lot of the narrative from some parts of the media/govt/NHS has been to blame the patient ie

Patients won't present - no because they've been told to,protect the NHS and besides they are likely to get covid and die or even worse infect random nurses and they'll die because their life is worth more than yours

People daring to buy food - so made to feel guilty by random nurse in tears

People daring to leave their house for state sanctioned exercise/buy food - told to stay the fuck at home by random nurse in tears

Normal people who are furloughed/struggling with mental health/ tired/bored/scared for their future - told off for daring to have legitimate feelings and emotions about their lives because they aren't in ICU (nor are you Karen)

People told that the NHS are heroes, working to keep us all alive, need clapping, thanking, special shopping hours, free food.....all when people are scared, broke, struggling.....

Oh yes, the govt has paid a blinder.

Laniakea · 31/05/2020 22:54

blame the patient

Laniakea · 31/05/2020 22:54

blame the patient

Laniakea · 31/05/2020 22:56

!!!

Sorry internet splurge!

blame the patient

^The NHS would function so much better if it weren't for pesky patients cluttering up the place

corryj · 31/05/2020 23:08

I work in Endoscopy, we usually see 50 patients a day. We shut down in March . We would find at least 2 new cancers in patients most days. I shudder to think how many people are sitting at home not knowing. We already had massive waiting lists. They are going to be huge.

highmarkingsnowbile · 31/05/2020 23:15

And the cancers you find in endoscopies are not usually associated with terrific OS rates Sad. I was due a follow up one for an ulcer. Cancelled. Not Covid.

On another thread, a poster had a pulmonary embolism in March a bit before lockdown. Hospitalised, then on blood thinners. NO follow up. In nearly THREE fucking months.

highmarkingsnowbile · 31/05/2020 23:26

I might be missing something, but I took the post to mean the flu epidemic of 2017/18..rather than the one ages back?

There wasn't an influenza pandemic in 2017/18. The last one was in 2009, 'swine flu' with a loss of up to 400,000 lives globally.

The one in 1968, the 'Hong Kong Flu', it caused between 1-4m deaths, but we didn't close down the world. And guess what? It's STILL around! I contracted it myself, when we were living in Singapore, in 1979.

People have had to learn to live with viruses for centuries.

callmeadoctor · 01/06/2020 00:03

I imagine (and pray) that when lockdown eases, the hospitals/clinics etc will at least start working at the weekends , to try and catch up the backlog..........

callmeadoctor · 01/06/2020 00:04

I mean work weekends as well as in the week, surely this will have to be done as a matter of urgency...

Footsanitiser · 01/06/2020 00:23

I mean work weekends as well as in the week, surely this will have to be done as a matter of urgency...
But would there be enough staff to do that? The wards that closed, or clinics that didnt run didnt mean the staff weren't working, I thought they were redeployed?

missyB1 · 01/06/2020 07:38

Work weekends??? Yes they will be asked but that means working 7 days without a day off as there’s no way my dh’s Gastro team have enough staff to cover days off in the week. They already do weekend ward rounds which means that Consultant then works 12 days in a row (mon - fri, sat&sun, then mon- fri again). They also provide an emergency out of hours endoscopy service. There literally aren’t enough of them to do anything more. They can’t work without days off.

IAmAClone · 01/06/2020 12:32

My GPs are not doing my B12 injections or any medication reviews, even by phone.

I had to buy a syringe off the internet and inject my thigh with my B12 solution, so far I seem ok Grin DIY healthcare

Hagisonthehill · 01/06/2020 13:34

In many hospital staff have/are returning to their normal roles.We were short of staff before but are also trying to fill for colleagues who are vunerable/sheilding.
Private hospital have been doing 'clean' major surgery but patients saying they have isolated obviously haven't as we are getting enough positive patients to slow everything down.
The general hospitals are doing the 2week waits and the main hospital is doing a limited amount,mainly major on top of urgent/emergency cases.
All the patients are swabbed but it only takes one failing the test post op to put other patients at risk.

oralengineer · 01/06/2020 14:26

Don’t expect dentistry to return to normal any time soon. There may also be surcharges for the PPE needed since the hike in cost is criminal. £60 for a box of masks that usually cost less than £10. Also temporary closures may happen when PPE not available. Pre Covid dentistry was probably the biggest PPE customer.

Anewuser · 01/06/2020 14:58

Same as @daisypond. Had radiotherapy at the beginning of April, now radio silence. Spoke to the oncologist’s secretary who said he’s not doing any follow up appointments.

I’d really like to know if I’ve still got cancer.

EnlightenedOwl · 01/06/2020 15:03

@Anewuser

Same as *@daisypond*. Had radiotherapy at the beginning of April, now radio silence. Spoke to the oncologist’s secretary who said he’s not doing any follow up appointments.

I’d really like to know if I’ve still got cancer.

Oh that's awful. Mine is teeny in comparison but raging ear infection. Absolutely no point trying gp but got an online private consultation and antibiotics. Not cheap but got some treatment so...
highmarkingsnowbile · 01/06/2020 15:08

Same as @daisypond. Had radiotherapy at the beginning of April, now radio silence. Spoke to the oncologist’s secretary who said he’s not doing any follow up appointments.

I’d really like to know if I’ve still got cancer.

FUCKING HELL Angry. Cannot believe how many have been negligently treated all because of this.

Also had to get private treatment for raging hayfever/allergies.

Laniakea · 01/06/2020 15:33

Almost 2.5 million Britons have not been screened, tested or treated for cancer because the Covid-19 pandemic has led to “enormous disruption” of NHS care for the disease, experts have warned.

More than 24,000 cases of cancer have gone undiagnosed as a result of the suspension of normal services while delays in treatment mean some people’s disease is now inoperable, Cancer Research UK (CRUK) says.

^ But we protected the NHS, so that’s okay.

EnlightenedOwl · 01/06/2020 15:34

@highmarkingsnowbile

Same as @daisypond. Had radiotherapy at the beginning of April, now radio silence. Spoke to the oncologist’s secretary who said he’s not doing any follow up appointments.

I’d really like to know if I’ve still got cancer.

FUCKING HELL Angry. Cannot believe how many have been negligently treated all because of this.

Also had to get private treatment for raging hayfever/allergies.

I used spire. It was a cool hundred quid but at least got sorted
Humphriescushion · 01/06/2020 15:47

The excess deaths in the uk is alarming. Obviously many of these are covid however the scientists some time ago spoke about the excess as yet unaccounted for, whilst many may be unreported covid deaths i think that many are exactly what people are talking about here. I thought they were looking into these but i have not read anything. It really is very alarming and the stats bear this out.