Seven days in medicine: 11-17 October

Waiting listsMore people are waiting longer in EnglandA further 65 000 people in England joined the NHS waiting list for hospital treatment in August, bringing the total to 7.75 million.1 Two fifths (42%) had been waiting more than 18 weeks, with nearly 400 000 patients waiting for more than a year, data from NHS England showed. In September more than 33 000 patients spent at least 12 hours in accident and emergency departments waiting for a bed. Thea Stein, chief executive of the health think tank the Nuffield Trust, said, “It’s an unavoidable truth that whoever takes power at the next election will need to spend more on the NHS and healthcare.”Waits in accident and emergency departments in Wales have been under-reportedThe Welsh government asked health boards to include breach exemptions in figures on waiting times in accident and emergency departments after the Royal College of Emergency Medicine found that…
Read Original Article: Seven days in medicine: 11-17 October »