Description
In this talk, Deborah Eastwood outlines the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on trauma and orthopedic admissions in England, highlighting a stark decline in procedures since a major drop-off in March. Despite a partial recovery, the statistics reveal a backlog of 10,000 monthly admissions and a million fewer referrals overall. Notably, the waiting list for operations has surged by 30%, with over 160,000 patients now waiting, and the number waiting over a year has increased dramatically by 140-fold. There is regional variation in recovery, with the South East returning to near-normal capacity while other regions like the Midlands and Wales lag behind. In Northern Ireland, patients face troubling waits that may extend up to four years for urgent operations. The discussion concludes with Eastwood predicting heightened pressures this winter due to the dual challenges of COVID-19 and flu, suggesting that more cancellations of operations are imminent and emphasizing the crisis facing arthritic patients.
DOI: 10.1302/3114-221492