John Timmons, international medical director at Mölnlycke, discusses the findings of a major survey which uncovered the impact of the backlog, caused by COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have many serious and far-reaching impacts on the health service, affecting most if not all clinical settings. The vast numbers of patients with COVID-19 admitted into hospitals have placed unprecedented pressures on the system, forcing vital services to pause and treatments to be delayed. One of the areas most impacted by the crisis is elective care
There has never been a more urgent need to assess the most effective and efficient way to clear the backlog of elective surgery than now. Doing so would not only support the health service to return to non-COVID-19 operations; it would also alleviate the pressure on the system as a whole, and directly improve long-term health outcomes for patients across the country. We cannot allow cancers to be left untreated, nor cardiovascular conditions to be left undiagnosed, or we risk an even greater health crisis in the years to come.
As we look to build back better from the crisis, we must carefully consider how the system functions as a whole, placing patient outcomes and staff recovery at the top of our priority list. It is for this reason that Mölnlycke commissioned a survey of 501 healthcare professionals (HCPs) across the country, to look beyond the headline data on the elective care backlog and understand first-hand from HCPs more about the challenges they face. The survey polled surgeons, nurses, procurement managers and operating theatre staff across health service organisations to achieve a comprehensive view of the impact that COVID-19 has had on elective care
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