Adverse reaction in vaccine participant puts Oxford University Covid trial on hold

The number of patients facing longer waits for routine operations has soared in England due to the disruption to hospitals during the pandemic.

Over two million people on the waiting list, 50 per cent of the total, have been waiting for longer than 18 weeks, the highest since records began in 2007. Around 83,000 have been waiting for longer than a year, up from 2,000 before the pandemic.

NHS Providers’ Saffron Cordery, said frontline staff were “working hard” to restore services, adding that constantly changing in and out of protective equipment and the need for extra cleaning meant seeing and treating patients was taking longer than it did in the past.

Ms Cordery went on to say “The recovery from the peak of the pandemic was always going to require step by step increases in activity and the NHS is well on the way to restoring services. We are in a much better place than many would have predicted a few months ago.”

However, Professor Neil Mortenson of the Royal College of Surgeons, said the speed that patients were being seen was “disappointing”, going on to say that he feared many would have to wait until the spring for treatment.

“For those unable to return to work due to their condition, this is not only a health issue, but an economic one too.”

Macmillan Cancer Support’s Sara Bainbridge, said that unless more could be done, delays would continue to grow.

“Behind each statistic is a real person whose prognosis and treatment options could be severely impacted by disruption during Covid-19.”

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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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