More than a fifth of UHS patients waiting 18 months for care

A scandal-hit NHS Trust has the highest number of patients waiting a year and a half for care in the country, new data has revealed.

New figures from NHS England show that University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust accounts for 21.4 per cent of the total number of people waiting 18 months for pre-planned treatment, as of the end of September.

The waiting list at the Trust, which is under investigation by Sussex Police for allegations of negligence in its general surgery and neurosurgery departments, is more than three times that of the Trust in second place.

University Hospitals Sussex also has the highest number of patients waiting at least a year to start treatment, the data further reveals.

Recently, neurosurgery patient Tony Mardell made headlines for his experience at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, which saw him wait more than a year between his benign brain tumour being discovered and him being operated on, despite worsening seizures. It was cancelled three times due to a lack of beds.

His case is one of more than 100 being investigated as part of Operation Bramber, which is also understood to include at least 40 fatalities.

As well as the Royal Sussex, University Hospitals Sussex also runs the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital, Worthing Hospital, the Princess Royal Hospital, St Richard's Hospital, the Sussex Eye Hospital and Southlands Hospital.

Nisha Sharma, principal lawyer and clinical negligence specialist at Slater and Gordon, represents a growing number of people affected by poor standards of care at University Hospitals Sussex, including Tony Mardell.

“These figures make for very concerning reading – it is simply not good enough that University Hospitals Sussex has the highest proportion of patients in the country waiting over 18 months, and over a year, for the care they so badly need,” says Nisha.

“The local communities served by these hospitals rely on the care and treatment they provide, and the extent of the wait they will face to access that is laid bare in these figures.

“Delays in treatment can result in catastrophic and life-changing outcomes, as we see all too often in the cases we deal with, and the welfare of patients is at stake when so many are having to wait a year and more to be treated. This must be tackled by the Trust urgently.”