Pandemic shows need for sustainable way to tackle waiting lists

:: Experts reveal toll of Covid-19 on people with other illnesses

Experts say that “scheduled healthcare will always be compromised when hospitals are under pressure"

Eilish O'Regan Twitter Email

April 13 2021 02:30 AM

The main UK variant of Covid-19 which has now been dominant here for months is easier to catch but does not increase the severity of illness, a new study published today reveals,

The study looked at the B117 UK variant, which accounts for the majority of cases of the virus now diagnosed here.

It comes as the daily virus count fell to 394 yesterday with no new deaths.

The 14-day incidence of the disease is down to 132 per 100,000.

The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital is at 227, with 50 patients still seriously ill in intensive care as of yesterday afternoon.

There were 22 more patients hospitalised in the previous 24 hours.

The study on the B117 variant in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases found it led to a higher viral load in people who were infected, and a higher R or reproduction rate.

The study led by University College London found patients with B117 were not more likely to die than those with other strains.

Patients who caught the infection tended to be younger but the authors point to the need for more enlarged studies.

Meanwhile, medical experts will today reveal the hidden toll of Covid-19 on people with other illnesses who face delayed hospital care.

Surgeon Kenneth Mealy will tell the National Healthcare Outcomes Conference that between 2019 and 2020 there has been an 18pc decrease in total patient discharges across all specialties.

Cancer patient discharges have fallen by 15pc.

There has been a 26pc reduction in colorectal cancer surgery and a 38pc drop in in breast cancer surgery.

Outpatient waiting lists have increased by 12.2pc and there has been a 40.8pc rise in those in the queue for more than nine months.

Commenting on the figures, Mr Mealy said “at this point of the pandemic we have more questions than answers about why we have seen this dramatic decrease in discharges and surgical care.

“The data presents us with an opportunity, however, to understand the factors behind hospital admissions. Perhaps more care can be appropriately provided for in the community. Perhaps better access to senior decision-makers and diagnostics would reduce the need for hospital admissions and give more timely hospital care for those who need it.”

He warned that “scheduled healthcare will always be compromised when hospitals are under pressure.

High quality patient care has been provided throughout the pandemic, however, it is clear that our failure to separate scheduled surgical care and emergency care has exacerbated the negative impact on non-Covid-19 medical activities.”

He added that “some patients have been appropriately cared for in the community, others remain on or have been added to a waiting list. There is a clear impact here for serious non-Covid-19 conditions.

“It’s important that these patients are quickly identified, so they can receive the care they need. Many will be in pain and their conditions will deteriorate while they wait.”

Prof Jan Sorensen, director of the health outcomes research centre at the Royal College of Surgeons, said the data “highlights the challenges ahead for the health services. This calls for tough decisions towards future use of healthcare resources and an urgent need to integrate service data into the decision-making process.”

Prof Sorensen said: “As the end of the pandemic is approaching, a sustainable approach to managing the growing waiting lists in a resource-constrained system will be to base decision-making and resource allocation on clear outcomes based criteria.”

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Online Editors