Concern at endoscopy waiting times
Updated on 26 March 2007
Some patients are having to wait more than a year for a routine endoscopy, according to the health watchdog.
A Healthcare Commission study found wide variations around the country, with some patients seen within four weeks and others waiting months. Patients in the South East of England face some of the longest waits.
Delays are happening despite the Government setting a target due to be achieved this month of all diagnostic tests being carried out within 13 weeks of referral.
The report also highlights concerns about the quality of care for patients undergoing the probe, which is used to detect conditions such as bowel cancer and stomach ulcers. These include older patients being too heavily sedated in 50% of endoscopy units and many patients not being asked to sign consent forms.
The study, called Taking a Closer Look, examined the performance of all 201 gastrointestinal endoscopy units in NHS acute hospitals.
It found that, at the end of last year, half of patients in the South East had been waiting for more than 26 weeks for a colonoscopy, which examines the lower bowel. Meanwhile, fewer than 0.2% of patients in the North East waited that long for the same procedure.
The Commission said that, despite the emphasis on targets, 31% of all patients needing a colonoscopy had been waiting more than 13 weeks in December.A fifth (20%) of those waiting for a gastroscopy - to examine the upper digestive tract - had also been waiting more than 13 weeks.
The report also found that 16% of people waiting for a colonoscopy and 9% of people waiting for a gastroscopy had been waiting more than 26 weeks.
The Commission predicted about 30 NHS trusts will "fail significantly" to meet the Government's target this month and one in five patients will still be waiting more than 13 weeks. One in eight units cancel over 20% of their scheduled endoscopy sessions, with reasons including "competing demands" on clinicians' time, it said.
Concerns over patient care include some units using outdated equipment and not having enough toilet facilities. A "worrying" 45% of trusts did not even monitor whether colonoscopies succeed in examining the target area of the bowel. Of those that did monitor it, endoscopists in just 41% of trusts examined the right area of the bowel at least 90% of the time - an agreed target under the National Bowel Cancer Screening Programme.
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