The first-of-its-kind report shows people from the most deprived areas of England are also experiencing the same issue.
For the first time, NHS England have published new figures which provide a breakdown of the health service’s waiting lists by ethnicity, age, deprivation levels and sex.
The data was made available to help hospitals address ‘unfair waits’ for planned care and trusts across the country are being asked to use the data to reduce inequalities faced by patients.
In a nutshell, the figures reveal:
- Over half (56%) of the overall waiting list for health and care appointments is made up of people aged between 19 and 64
- A third of people on wait lists are aged 65 and over
- Women are more likely to be waiting for longer periods than men – this includes over 18 weeks and, in some cases, more than 52 weeks
- Among over 65s, ophthalmology has the greatest backlog
Meanwhile, the report likewise reveals an average of 31% of patients living in the most deprived areas of England had been waiting over a year to begin treatment as of June, compared with 2.7% of the least deprived.
What’s more, this figure is stretched even further in certain regions of the country. For example, 2.4% of patients in the most disadvantaged areas of London were revealed to be waiting over a year for treatment, in contrast to 4.9% of the most deprived in the East of England.
It’s seen that patients in the poorest communities and those from Asian or Asian British backgrounds are more likely to wait longer than 18 weeks than any other group.
News of the report comes following Wes Streeting’s announcement of the 10-year plan for the NHS. Coming on the report, he said: ‘Sunlight is the best disinfectant. Only being upfront and shinning a light on inequalities can be begin to tackle the problem.’
Photo by Tugce Gungormezler via UnSplash
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