The UK has among the longest waiting times for hospital care compared to other high-income countries, according to a new report by the Health Foundation.
Disability organisations are particularly concerned about the impact these long waits are having on disabled people, given that nearly a third of the disabled population were persistently waiting for an NHS hospital appointment, test or to start treatment over the most recent winter period.
This compares to just 14% of the general population, highlighting that disabled people are being disproportionately affected by long waiting times for NHS treatment.
Mencap have long called for improved healthcare access for people with a learning disability, and Jackie O’Sullivan, the executive director of the charity says given the health inequalities people with learning disabilities face, these excessive wait times are cause for “serious concern”.
“In addition to an NHS struggling to tackle waiting lists for all patients, further delays for people with a learning disability can happen for a number of reasons. Some people’s symptoms are attributed to their learning disability rather than recognised as potential symptoms of a serious health issue, which is known as ‘diagnostic overshadowing’. Difficulties in getting the right support or putting reasonable adjustments in place can also be a key reason for delays, as well as a lack of specialist support being available,” she said.
The research included more than 21,000 people across 10 developed countries, including 3,361 people in the UK. It found the UK has some of the longest reported waiting times to see a specialist, including the largest proportion of people waiting one year or more for an appointment, alongside Canada.
Although the UK still has low proportions of people reporting cost barriers to accessing medical care compared with many other countries, the proportion has risen across the UK. While most medical care is free in the UK, the costs to travel to appointments and prescription charges have previously been reported as reasons for avoiding healthcare appointments.
The researchers say these challenges are likely to have compounded the disadvantage faced by those on lower incomes (such as disabled people who are unable to work) and those who live in deprived areas, where rates of ill health and the need for healthcare are higher and the number of GPs is likely to be lower.
General practice faired slightly better than hospital care, with 97% of people in the UK reporting they have access to a regular GP or GP practice, with other countries ranging from 99% in the Netherlands (the highest) to 86% in Canada (the lowest).
However, in 2023, more patients in England reported difficulties contacting their GP practice than ever before. In total, just 53% of UK participants said they ‘always’ or ‘often’ received an answer about a medical concern from their GP practice on the same day they contacted the practice, putting the UK at the bottom of the table alongside Canada, Australia and France.
The UK and Australia ranked highest among the surveyed nations on the use of remote consultations in primary care, with 37% of UK participants reporting access to some remote virtual care or telehealth in the past 12 months. However, the high use of remote consultations can present barriers to patients with learning disabilities, as reasonable adjustments can be more difficult to implement.
Ms O’Sullivan says Mencap now want to see healthcare services actively identify people with a learning disability and check their support needs in advance, while people who have difficult recognising or reporting their symptoms or deterioration should be prioritised for care.
“We have seen examples of some NHS Trusts implementing these measures, narrowing inequalities in waiting lists, and urge more to do so before more lives are put at risk,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Health Foundation’s Assistant Director of Policy Ruth Thorlby says policy change, innovation and investment are now needed to improve hospital care and bring UK healthcare back to a pole position.
“These findings show the UK consistently coming near the bottom of the pack on people’s experience of healthcare compared to other high-income countries. It sheds yet more light on just how much work the government has to do to get the NHS back on its feet.
“The UK is not alone in the challenges it faces but the combined effect of the pandemic and below average spending growth has left the NHS in a fragile state. The government is right to prioritise bringing down waiting lists, but that can only be done with a concerted effort to improve primary care and ensuring good coordination between hospitals and GPs.
“National and local health leaders also need to be vigilant against creeping costs denying people access to healthcare… If these trends continue, the risk is that more and more people, particularly from deprived communities, will delay seeking care, which could store up more health problems in the future. There are no quick fixes, but the NHS can recover with the right mix of policy change, innovation and investment.”
