Almost half of NHS patients have seen their health get worse while waiting to be admitted to hospital, damning survey reveals By Shaun Wooller Health Editor Published: 00:18, 22 August 2024 | Updated: 00:30, 22 August 2024 e-mail View comments More than four in ten NHS patients have seen their health get worse while waiting to be admitted to hospital, a damning survey reveals. The Care Quality Commission said its annual poll of 63,500 people shows long waiting lists are increasingly harming the nation's health. Some 43 per cent told the regulator their health had deteriorated while on the list, up from 41 per cent the previous year.
Of those who reported a decline in their condition, a quarter (25 per cent) said it got 'a bit worse' and just under a fifth (18 per cent) said it got 'much worse'. Some 42 per cent of respondents who were in hospital for elective care said they would have liked to have been admitted sooner, up from 39 per cent a year earlier. CQC said an 'imbalance' between patient demand and treatment capacity is fuelling delays and 'putting people at risk'.
More than four in ten NHS patients saw their pain get worse while waiting to be admitted to hospital (file image) Some 42 per cent of respondents who were in hospital for elective care said they would have liked to have been admitted sooner, up from 39 per cent a year earlier (file image) Hold-ups mean people may have been left in crippling pain, unable to work, and in need of more intensive treatment once they finally get into an operating theatre. It may also hamper recovery chances. A separate study by the Health Foundation think-tank today shows patients in the UK face some of the longest waits for hospital care in the developed world.
Health secretary Wes Streeting has warned the health service is 'broken' and has ordered an investigation into the scale of the problem. It comes as waiting lists stand at 7.6million, with taxpayers forced to fund ballooning welfare benefits as more people are signed off work sick.
Read More Religiously clapping NHS during Covid may have protected it from criticism needed, says watchdog The CQC quizzed 63,500 people who stayed in one of 131 acute and specialist NHS trusts in England for at least one night last November. The survey has been carried out annually since 2002. Only 75 per cent said they 'always' felt included by doctors in conversations about their care and 82 per cent felt they were 'always' treated with dignity and respect by hospital staff.
Meanwhile, just 63 per cent said they were 'always' able to get a member of staff to help when they needed attention. Some 70 per cent of patients reported 'always' getting the help they needed to wash 64 per cent 'always' got the assistance they needed to eat their meals. Patients also remained unhappy with discharge planning and procedures.
Only 33 per cent of respondents said they were involved 'a great deal' in decisions about their discharge and 44 per cent said they 'definitely' knew what would happen next in their care after leaving hospital. Nicola Wise, director of secondary and specialist healthcare at the CQC, said: 'It's disappointing that we haven't seen more improvement in patient experience since the last time the survey was carried out. 'Overall, satisfaction rates remain far lower than they were pre-Covid with delays in accessing care and poorly coordinated discharge from hospital both clear factors impacting on the quality of people's hospital stay.
Health secretary Wes Streeting (pictured) has warned the health service is 'broken' and has ordered an investigation into the scale of the problem 'It's also concerning that we've seen an increase in the number of people who feel their health deteriorated while they waited for elective care - further evidence that the current imbalance between patient demand and treatment capacity is putting people at risk.' Louise Ansari, chief executive at patients' watchdog Healthwatch England, said: 'A rise in the number of patients who say their health deteriorated while awaiting hospital admission is troubling, especially given the NHS's efforts to tackle waiting times. 'The NHS won't reduce waiting times overnight, but more needs to be done to prioritise those in greatest need and improve the experience of waiting.
'Central to this is providing more regular check-ins about people's condition and pain levels and better support for physical and mental health symptoms.' Commenting on the Health Foundation study, Ruth Thorlby, the think-tank's assistant director of policy, said: '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. 'The combined effect of the pandemic and below average spending growth has left the NHS in a fragile state.
' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: 'These survey results confirm what we already know: the NHS is broken, but not beaten. 'Getting the NHS back on its feet is our priority but it will take time.' NHS Wes Streeting Share or comment on this article: Almost half of NHS patients have seen their health get worse while waiting to be admitted to hospital, damning survey reveals e-mail Add comment.
