Problem

Delay in administration of medical care

Other Names:
Hospital waiting lists
Delayed surgery
Delay in emergency treatment
Incidence:

In the UK, in 1986, over 661,000 people were on waiting list for hospital treatment. Almost 40,000 people had been waiting for over a year for non-urgent orthopaedic operations and 10,000 had been waiting for over a month for urgent orthopaedic operations including hip replacements. In some districts 95% of non-urgent patients must wait over a year for treatment. Several officials believe that some people on waiting lists no longer need treatment because they have moved or have died. A 1993 report found a total of 1,030,763 people on UK waiting lists for hospital treatment, the country's record high and a 1.3% increase over the previous 6 months. In 1994 it was reported that patients were waiting an average of 5.5 hours for a bed in a hospital casualty department outside London.

Broader Problems:
Inadequate health services
Subject(s):
Health Care Care
Health Care Hospitals
Health Care Surgery
Management Administration
Societal Problems Delay
Societal Problems Emergencies
Related UN Sustainable Development Goals:
GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-beingGOAL 13: Climate Action
Problem Type:
D: Detailed problems
Date of last update
12.06.2019 – 17:10 CEST