The number of patients who have been waiting more than a year for treatment at Shropshire's main hospitals surged to new heights. Demand for critical care has significantly increased while waiting lists at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) have grown for patients awaiting planned operations and procedures.
Latest figures show that 3,456 patients in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin had been waiting more than a year to start treatment. Across the UK, Macmillan estimates that there are currently 50,000 missing cancer diagnoses, while Shropshire hospital leaders have reported that some specialities may take more than 12 months to recover and return to pre-Covid capacity.
Lucy has been working closely with Ministers in the Department for Health and Social Care to address concerns raised by Telford residents about extended waiting times and difficulty accessing emergency and non-emergency treatment.
Commenting, Lucy Allan MP said:
“The pandemic has had an immense impact on our core NHS services. Focus shifted towards treating and preventing serious illness from coronavirus. While it was necessary to prioritise minimising the spread of the virus and protecting those most vulnerable, this has created a serious backlog of patients that are yet to receive treatment for other health conditions.
This is causing great concern for my constituents, some of whom have already been waiting for months to receive medical treatment for long-term health conditions. I have assisted residents who have had surgeries and treatments cancelled.
People cannot wait to receive vital diagnoses or treatment. I am pushing Ministers to work collaboratively with private healthcare providers to meet the current shortfall in NHS capacity so that those in Telford that need medical care can continue to access it.”
