Hospital Waiting Times Soar

November 16th, 2020
Morrish Solicitors
Medical Negligence

Pressure of COVID-19 on Healthcare Services

The COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest healthcare crisis the UK has ever seen. It is an immense medical challenge that has caused huge disruption to healthcare services across the country.
Since the start of the pandemic doctors, nurses and keyworkers have worked tirelessly treating critically ill Coronavirus patients. The dedication of those working in the NHS during these unprecedented times will be remembered forever.
Before COVID-19 the NHS was already struggling to meet the demand for its services. Unfortunately, the pandemic has added to this pressure and the strain on the NHS will affect many people who require treatment before and after the pandemic.

Surgery Waiting Times Expected to Grow

During the peak of the pandemic many hospitals, healthcare clinics and GP surgeries changed their normal services and focused on preventing the spread of the virus.
This meant many vital treatments for patients were cancelled, non-emergency surgeries have been postponed and screenings/tests for a range of health conditions were delayed.
As a result of this NHS patients are now experiencing longer wait times for treatment because hospitals are struggling to get through the backlog of patients due to Coronavirus restrictions.
According to the NHS Confederation there are currently more than 4 million patients on the NHS waiting list for routine procedures. They estimate this could rise to 10 million by the end of the year, if there’s a second wave of the virus this could increase significantly higher.
There is no doubt this is an extremely worrying time for patients and their families especially if delayed treatment is having a severe impact on their life causing them unnecessary suffering and worsening their condition.

Impact of Delayed Treatment

The following healthcare services have been affected by COVID-19:

Routine Surgery
Emergency Treatment and Surgery
All types of Cancer Services
Diabetes Services
All types of Diseases
Heart Care

It is feared that many patients’ conditions have worsened due to delayed treatment leading to complications and more intense treatment in some cases. In some cases, patients have been put at higher risk and their condition may sadly be terminal. The long-term repercussions of this are yet to come to light, but sadly some individuals’ health may have deteriorated as a result.

Making a Medical Negligence Claim During COVID-19

Have you or a family member suffered due to delayed treatment? You may be wondering if pursuing a medical negligence claim is the right thing to do.
Despite the best efforts of medical professionals mistakes will still happen. Anyone who has been a victim of medical negligence has the right to deal with it in a way that suits them whether that’s by making a formal complaint and seeking an apology or making a formal compensation claim. Everyone’s circumstances are different and pursuing a claim may give them a better recovery whilst living as independently as possible.
Please note, the compensation paid out from medical negligence claims does not come from the same money that pays for medical treatment or employees’ salaries. The compensation money to victims comes from a separate premium paid by the Trusts to NHS Resolution.

Medical Negligence Experts at Morrish Solicitors

Morrish Solicitors are one of West Yorkshire’s leading Law Firms providing expert legal advice to clients across the region and nationally. Over the years, we have worked hard to build-up our excellent reputation and have a team of highly qualified medical negligence solicitors dedicated to acting for victims of medical negligence.
One of our experienced medical negligence solicitors will thoroughly review your case and decide if what went wrong is serious enough to justify compensation.
Our areas of expertise include, but are not limited to: