People waiting for joint replacement surgery, often in daily pain, need more support for both their physical and mental health, a charity has warned.
Versus Arthritis, as part of its Impossible to Ignore campaign, has developed a six-point support package that it is urging local health services to provide to those waiting for joint replacements.
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Waiting times for planned surgery are currently at record levels because of the backlogs that have built up during the pandemic.
Latest figures from NHS England have suggested that the number of people waiting for hospital treatment in England is now exceeding five million for the first time, with nearly 400,000 people having been waiting for more than year.
A poll of 900 people waiting for surgery by Versus Arthritis found more than three-quarters (79%) felt their physical health had worsened.
Nearly nine out of 10 (89%) reported their pain levels had got worse, 90% had reduced mobility, 79% were now less independent, and 72% were experiencing a deterioration in their mental health, it added.
The charity has therefore called on local health services to commit to the following six-point plan, although elements of it could also be relevant for employer-provided support.
- Clear communication to be provided to people about when they can expect to have their surgery and receive the care and services they need in the meantime.
- Personalised self-management support to be provided to help people with arthritis manage their pain while they wait for surgery.
- Physical activity programmes designed to help people with arthritis stay active and prepare for surgery should be actively promoted by primary care networks (or groups of GP practices that work closely together with other primary and community care staff).
- Mental health support to be offered to help every person with arthritis to manage their pain and any associated depression and anxiety.
- Signposting to financial support and advice to be provided for people with arthritis in work or seeking work.
- Covid-19 recovery plan to address the specific needs of people with arthritis.
Separately, the Royal College of Surgeons has called for a network of specialist hubs to be set up to tackle the backlog, with some hospitals becoming focused on routine surgery, such as hip and knee replacements.
College president Professor Neil Mortensen told the BBC that it was time for a “New Deal for surgery” to be put in place to help the health service weather future pandemics.
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“If a dangerous new variant of Covid-19 takes hold, or another bad flu arrives in the autumn, we cannot allow surgery to grind to a halt again or waiting lists will become insurmountable,” he said.
He suggested around 40 centres based in existing NHS buildings could be refocused to carry out non-urgent surgery.
