01 Mar 2023
Responding to the new Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on NHS backlogs and waiting times, Professor Neil Mortensen, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England said:
“NHS staff have worked incredibly hard to make sure the longest waits for surgery have been dramatically reduced over the last year. The new surgical hubs, announced by NHS England last month, will significantly help to bring down waiting lists across the country.
“The New Hospitals Programme must continue to consider where surgical hubs feature in its plans and gaps in provision need to be addressed. We would like to see surgical hubs established in every area of the country with a particular focus on those areas that are underserved and struggling to bring down waiting times.
“All of this will mean nothing in the long term unless we have a resilient workforce to staff hubs. The challenging picture at the moment is further exacerbated by staff vacancies across the NHS. For example, a shortage of anaesthetists and theatre nurses create problems for planned surgery. We hope to see the Government’s much anticipated workforce plan very soon.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
The Royal College of Surgeons of England is a professional membership organisation and registered charity, which exists to advance surgical standards and improve patient care.
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