Fears of a post-Covid patient surge at Wigan hospitals

Wigan’s hospitals recorded 29 per cent fewer GP referrals during March.
Wigan Infirmary could experience an upsurge in patients after the Covid-19 pandemic has passedWigan Infirmary could experience an upsurge in patients after the Covid-19 pandemic has passed
Wigan Infirmary could experience an upsurge in patients after the Covid-19 pandemic has passed

Health leaders have warned that the NHS faces a “wave of increasing demand” as the initial coronavirus peak abates, with a drop in non-Covid related activity during the crisis storing up problems for the future.

NHS figures show GPs referred 7,128 patients to hospital for assessment, investigation or treatment by specialists at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh (WWL) NHS Foundation Trust in March last year.

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But that number fell to 5,081 during the same month this year, as Covid-19 began to take hold in the UK – a drop of 29 per cent.

Dr Richard VautreyDr Richard Vautrey
Dr Richard Vautrey

It reflected the picture across England, where referrals fell by 32 per cent, from 1.18 million to 802,000.

The Royal College of GPs says the drop is due to both a fall in patients making appointments and hospitals not accepting referrals for some non-urgent conditions to free up beds and resources.

But the British Medical Association says the deferral of treatment risks conditions worsening and requiring more acute care in future, which is likely to “result in a wave of increasing demand once the current Covid situation eases”.

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More than half of GPs thought the prioritisation of Covid-19 patients was negatively impacting the care of others, according to a BMA survey.

Dr Richard Vautrey (pictured), BMA GP committee chair, said: “In our recent survey, the impact on long-term patient clinical demand was the one issue that GPs said they were most concerned about related to the current pandemic.

“The BMA is urging the Government and NHS England to set out a credible and realistic plan of how it intends to continue to meet the current demand of Covid-19, while resuming services for patients who so desperately need care for unrelated, but often painful and distressing, conditions.”

Prof Martin Marshall, chair of the RCGP, said it was important patients seek help, as earlier diagnosis can improve outcomes for some serious conditions such as cancer.

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The NHS England figures also show that 4,806 referred patients were seen by WWL specialists during March – 12 per cent fewer than in March 2019. But as lockdown measures are eased, the RCGP says the number of patients making doctor appointments is beginning to rise again – which will also mean a rise in referrals.

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