Devon, especially the RD&E, is the worst area in the country for waiting more than a year for operations
According to a paper for this week’s Health Scrutiny meeting:
‘At the end of November, nationally there were 1,378 patients’ waiting over 52-weeks with Devon CCG having 282 of these breaches.’
If Devon had the number of waits in proportion to its population, the number would have been less than 20.
The paper says that OVER HALF of the 282 were waiting for the RD&E. ‘Royal Devon & Exeter Trust (RDE) has been impacted by staffing issues particularly in Cardiology and has issues with long waits in Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery.’
I have raised this question at both Health Scrutiny and Devon County Council over the last two years, and I’m pleased that the NHS organisations are finally giving it the priority it deserves. I look forward to seeing action to address this problem in 2020, as promised.
Actively giving patients the option to go elsewhere after 26 weeks is also an improvement. But the NHS should be able to treat everyone in less than 26 weeks, too. It is an awful long time to wait in pain and discomfort.
Seaton & Colyton MATTERS 