A report has revealed that more than 7,700 patients in Staffordshire have been waiting more than a year for hospital treatment.
The figures were revealed in a report to a meeting of the health and care overview and scrutiny committee at Staffordshire County Council next week.
It said that the impact of Covid on health services meant that at the end of February there were 7,752 people across the region who had been “waiting more than 52 weeks” for elective treatment.
The report said:
“The continued prevalence of Covid-19 – and the need to stand down elective activity in 2020 and again in 2021 and early 2022 with the agreement of NHS England (NHSE) – has had a profound impact on performance.
“The prolonged impact of Covid has had a significant impact on delivery against both inpatient and outpatient activity plans.
“While occupancy levels of Covid inpatients started to decline in late March and early April, social distancing requirements remained in place until early April.
“The number of patients waiting more than 52 weeks has increased throughout 20/21. As at the end of February 2022, there were 7,752 Staffordshire patients waiting more than 52 weeks for their treatment.”
Report to Staffordshire County Council’s health and care overview and scrutiny committee
Despite the delays being faced, the report said steps were being taken to reduce delays for patients awaiting an elective procedure.
“It is envisaged that progress will be made in reducing elective backlogs over the coming months – however, this will be incremental and in the context of wider pressures.
“Providers continue to ensure that patients who have already had extended waits for their treatment can be prioritised alongside more urgent patients.
“The use of independent sector capacity continues to be optimised to support elective activity.”
Report to Staffordshire County Council’s health and care overview and scrutiny committee
The report will be debated at the county council overview and scrutiny committee meeting on Monday (30th May). The session will be streamed live online.
