How can seven million people be waiting for hospital treatment?

[Kendodd]

That's just in England.
This isn't a government or NHS bashing thread. It's more a thread about how our health can be so shit?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63219147

Isn't it mostly just that some of the people who were on the waiting lists in 2020 still are, plus the people from 2021 and people from 2022?

It's a backlog. Not that we've suddenly become more unhealthy.
Or have I misunderstood the question?

The waiting list for dermatology can be years. It's not peoples health being shot that causes eczema, psoriasis etc. Just genetics and bad luck.

I see dermatology for one of my conditions
On my third consultant now in less than a year. At one point they didn't have a consultant at all

And mine isn't caused by my health being shit, it's my body that's a bit shit
Urticaria diagnosed at 12, and still ongoing so use a biologic medication
Another skin condition which my mum had, probably autoimmune
Another autoimmune blood condition that's incredibly rare
And hashimotos to add to the list

Genetics I guess

I find it quite scary TBH.
I also hate the term "elective" surgery as opposed to emergency surgery. It makes it sound as if it is something trivial, cosmetic. My lovely neighbours has been waiting 18 months for his hernia operation. HIs hernia is the size of a small ball. We are helping him with his garden, as he can't really bend to pick up grass cuttings or leaves. It is disgusting.

Currently in hospital on a ward waiting for surgery but there's no blood for me. So I'm bed blocking because I can't be discharged until after surgery. Who knows how long I'll be here.

I only found out last night that 111 doesn’t exist anymore. They’ve been so helpful in the past, really saved my eldest by making an out of hours doctors appointment that flagged pneumonia. Im
so sad we now just get signposted to a website that last night talked me through options that ended with ring 999!!!! That would have been ridiculous. I’m so sad we basically have a nine functioning health device now 😞

*non

I’ve been waiting years for ankle surgery, not been able to walk well for 5 years now and in pain. Can’t even drive a manual car.

a colleague her dh has been waiting nearly a year for heart surgery. He’s been told he could have a heart attack any minute, he needs some sort of bypass and is on a waiting list.

The NHS as it is now will NEVER meet demand because demand is unrestricted, the ever increasing technical procedures that are available makes that impossible.
There is going to have to be some kind of limit to what is available, maybe a basic service then an insurance based top up, which most other countries have.

My mum had been waiting over a year for surgery on her ear. She recently had the surgery but due to the long wait, may now have permanent hearing loss in that ear.

NHS and adult social care are a mess, yet people kept voting for the Tories. Its only now we are at complete breaking point that people are waking up, too little too late.

I usually secretly roll my eyes at the amount of “booking Dr appointments” in life admin threads

then I remembered we’ve been on a waiting list to start assessments for neurodivergency for DD so she’s probably I’ve of those 7m

And some of them are waiting for very minor treatments or investigations.
Whilst numbers overall may have increased post pandemic, the media are (as usual) being somewhat simplistic and over-dramatic

And some of them are waiting for major life-saving operations. I disagree that it's the media being over-dramatic. I'm a nurse, and see the consequences daily of the poor staffing and planning in the NHS. The managers are very keen on building new bits to hospitals without being able to staff what we have already.

God help anyone who needs the help of a vascular surgeon in the North West. Because you'll be very lucky to find one.

Staffing levels
Covid
Those with disease they have no control over
Poor lifestyle choices that could be controlled
Aging population who live with multiple health issues because they have survived other conditions.
Higher population with no consideration for increasing provision to plan how we can cope.

Thing is people seem to think it’s just the NHS but it’s not, other countries are struggling too. Cousin in NZ waited 9 hours to be seen in A&E because they too are overwhelmed. I think we need to be more aware of the fact that societal changes have increased demand for health services and the NHS is expected to provide far more than it initially did. Lifestyle has changed which has impacted provision.

What counts as being on the waiting list? My DD is waiting for an ultrasound scan, so would that be counted?

The scan is looking for a potential congenital abnormality which may then require surgery so she would go on another waiting list. It's something she was born with though so hardly a result of being unhealthy.

Not all surgery is due to poor health. I've had surgery 3 times, outside of my c section. None were due to poor health or poor health choices. Just unfortunate complications and one was likely hereditary.

Reality is these have built up over years of underfunding and the pandemic has made everything far far worse, due to cancellations and delays, and the ever growing staff retention crisis in public sectors, again due to underfunding and constant cuts.

It'll get even worse going forward. The list may well start to reduce when people are dying during the wait it look for alternatives rather than wait for months and years in constant pain.

Pandemic- outpatients and elective surgery cancelled. Staff sent to staff Covid wards.
staff sickness/covid absence/burn out/psychological issues from the horrors they dealt with and how they were treated.
staff leaving due to the pressures/pay/working conditions
social care crisis- medical fit patients staying in acute beds as no social care, results in cancelled surgery to house sick patients from A*E
blood shortage- cancelling elective surgery
throw in shortage of GP appointments and an ageing population.

its a mess ☹️

Covid was the tipping point however NHS was already on its knee.
DP is Italian, and his mother in Italy, for whatever health issues is always seen very quickly by a specialist and has all the scans done in a matter of weeks (and then will call her son to give all the details for hours, but that is another thread) .

My health is shit due to the severe stress casused by domestic abuse. Lockdowns and Covid restrictions made that much worse because my abuser switched from going to the office to working at home. Then I had covid and now as a result of the above I have ME.