NHS: Surgeons air frustrations as 6.4m patients sit on hospital waiting lists

Surgeons have voiced their frustrations as millions of people remain sat on NHS waiting lists.

Latest figures suggest that roughly 6.4m patients are waiting for routine hospital treatment. This has reduced by more than 1.3m since September last year, but surgeons say a lack of access to operating rooms is hindering their efforts to further slash the waiting lists.

Now, they have penned a report for the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) calling for all operating theatres to be used to the maximum capacity and an increase in the number of hospital beds solely used for pre-planned surgery.

The report said: "Despite the surgical workforce regularly working long hours, productivity remains a key issue. There are insufficient resources, which limits access and outcomes for patients, with a poor return from the NHS for the taxpayer.

"[NHS infrastructure] often hinders the delivery of surgical services rather than enabling all members of the team to deliver these services to patients in the most timely and efficient way."

RCS England president Tim Mitchell added: “At a time when record waiting lists persist across the UK, it is deeply concerning that NHS productivity has decreased. The reasons for this are multifactorial, but access to operating theatres and staff wellbeing certainly play a major part.

"If surgical teams cannot get into operating theatres, patients will continue to endure unacceptably long waits for surgery. There is an urgent need to increase theatre capacity and ensure existing theatre spaces are used to maximum capacity.

"There is also a lot of work to be done to retain staff at all levels by reducing burnout and improving morale. RCS England stands ready to work with NHS trust organisations and health boards to develop policies and guidance that improve staff wellbeing."

An spokesperson for the NHS in England said: "Despite significant pressure on NHS services in England, we are making good progress on our elective recovery plan with the overall waiting list for elective care coming down, thanks to the health service embracing the latest innovations and boosting capacity.

"This includes rolling out around 100 surgical hubs across the country – dedicated areas where teams of staff can turn around high volumes of common procedures in one day – this helps, increase capacity, train staff, and ensure those patients waiting the longest for care are prioritised."