20,000 cancelled operations mean longer waiting times for patients in Edinburgh and Lothian, warns MSP

Miles Briggs said more than 20,000 fewer operations were carried out in Lothian in the last six months compared with the same period last year.

Waiting times are expected to be longer after hospitals had to cancel operations during the Covid crisis

And he called for retired medics to be brought back to increase capacity in hospitals and save patients waiting even longer.

Figures released by Public Health Scotland show in the last six months NHS Lothian has carried out 14,887 operations from March to September this year compared to compared to 36,194 for the equivalent six months last year.

Mr Briggs said: “Having over 20,000 fewer operations as a result of Covid-19 has meant that waiting times for routine operations are longer than ever.

“Preparing our NHS to best save people's lives from Covid-19 has been the top priority for the last six months, but saving people's lives from other illnesses and diseases is just as important.

“Waiting times were very long before Covid-19, in particular for non-urgent routine operations, and they are now exceptionally long.

“We are now facing a second wave of Covid-19, so preventing the spread of the virus will be crucial for alleviating pressure on health services.

“SNP Ministers must have a plan that allows for the continuation of operations whilst also having capacity for any increase in Covid-19 cases.

"There are people sitting in pain at home who should have had hip and knee operations almost nine months ago - that can often lead to additional problems with mental health and it is having a real negative impact on their lives."

He said the government had issued a call at the start of the crisis for recently-retired medics to come forward to help the NHS.

"They did so, but some have contacted me to say they have never been used. There are opportunities to get more scheduled operations if they are used.

"Some recently retired people want to give back to the NHS and be part of this so it seems odd they are not being called up.”

Jacquie Campbell, chief officer, acute services, NHS Lothian, said despite the challenges of the pandemic, staff were working hard to minimise disruption for patients.

“In line with infection prevention control guidance and to protect our patients and staff, in response to COVID-19, we are unable to schedule as many procedures as we would typically expect to do. Our focus remains on scheduling the most clinically urgent patients and there are instances when non-urgent procedures need to be postponed. This is to ensure that we can safely manage capacity and balance risk within our sites as we continue to provide care and treatment to the sickest of patients who need to be in hospital at this time.”

She acknowledged the situation meant longer waiting times for some patients. “We apologise to those who have been impacted as a result. We would like to offer assurance that these decisions are not ones that we take lightly, but are essential in managing our sickest patients.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.