A new report from The Health Foundation highlights 11% of people have had to wait a year or more for a specialist appointment and 19% had to wait over 12 months for emergency surgery.
Today, 22nd August 2024, The Health Foundation published their latest report which deemed the UK as one of the worst countries for hospital care waits. 10 high income countries were involved in the research, including France, the USA and Australia. Languishing, the UK almost always came out near the bottom of each category.
Overall, 21,341 people took part in the survey and they were questioned on their experience of healthcare, including access to hospital care and general practice, affordability and care coordination.
For hospital care, the UK had among the longest waiting times – 11% of people recorded waiting a year or more for a specialist appointment and 19% waiting a year or longer for non-emergency surgery. What’s more, the report also outlines that waiting times for specialist appointments have increased more rapidly in the UK than in other countries. Last year, 61% of people in the UK reported waiting more than four weeks for a specialist appointment – up from 15% in 2013.
On a more positive note, the survey revealed the UK is one of the better countries for people reporting same or next day appointments (42%). However, a mere 16% of people reported it was ‘very’ or ‘somewhat easy’ to get medical care in the evenings or weekends without having to visit A&E.
One of the main reasons for this could be affordability. Within the research, experts found that since 2013 financial problems have skyrocketed in the NHS. In 2023, 26% of people purposely skipped dental care or checkup appointments because of the cost, compared to just 6% in 2013.
‘These findings show the UK consistently coming near the bottom of the pack on people’s experience of healthcare compared to other high-income countries. It sheds yet more light on just how much work the government has to do to get the NHS back on its feet,’ Ruth Thorlby, assistant director of The Health Foundation said. ‘The combined effect of the pandemic and below average spending growth has left the NHS in a fragile state. The government is right to prioritise bringing down waiting lists, but that can only be done with a concerted effort to improve primary care and ensuring good coordination between hospitals and GPs.’
‘National and local health leaders also need to be vigilant against creeping costs denying people access to healthcare. Nowhere is this more apparent than dental care where too many people are avoiding treatment due to costs. If these trends continue, the risk is that more and more people, particularly from deprived communities, will delay seeking care, which could store up more health problems in the future.
‘There are no quick fixes, but the NHS can recover with the right mix of policy change, innovation and investment,’ Thorlby added.
Image: Maxim Hopman
Children’s health hangs in the balance due to hospital backlogs