And how much care is now being paid for by patients in the private sector? I don’t have any data, but my impression is that those with a straightforward issue whose livelihood depends on functioning are increasingly going straight to private care, not even bothering to (try to) ‘see’ their GP first.
The main reason big companies include private health is to reduce absences due to treatable illness. The same is true for self employed ,it is a no brainer.
For those with savings the thought of a year in pain whilst waiting for orthopaedic surgery is also a powerful motive to go private.
I think the 'perhaps' in this paragraph/quote should be dropper: "Perhaps the greatest achievement has not been reducing waiting lists but normalising them: The extraordinary has become ordinary." - As in so many other, bureaucratically 'managed' walks of life, the extraordinary has indeed become ordinary. I wonder when the screw will be even more tightened and the next extraordinary will become the 'new ordinary.'
There also seems to have been slight of hand involved in removing patients from lists. Send a letter by second class mail that then doesn't arrive in time, so non attendance occurs. This is deemed not wanting to be seen, resulting in need for rereferal.
Of course, this is a purely subjective measure, who's to say how people perceive the difference between what they'd classify as being healthy as opposed to being unhealthy, though I suspect it's one of these self-fulfilling things. If people perceive that they're relatively unhealthy they'll live an even less healthy life, becoming more static. The tendency will be to find reasons why they can't do something rather than what can I do.
Here is a fun one. A recent acquaintance had her one knee replaced here in Devon. The surgeon who performed the op has recently retired, soooo she was assigned a new consultant as she needs her other knee replaced. The new consultant advised her that he uses a “cement” knee and if she did not want a cement knee she should change consultants now. How reassuring these “consultants” are 😂
Average annual payment for average practise is £3,000 - but only for Mounjaro, apparently because it "Exhibits Clinical Superiority and Trial Outcomes".
One can only speculate what is really meant by the desired outcomes, although you are certain to eventually lose weight when dead.
About 20 years ago the NHS had a series of Independent Treatment Centres - privately run, no poaching of NHS staff, strict 5 year contract, etc seemed to work well at reducing the waiting list for run of the mill operations.
Exactly. I have long believed that a not for profit compulsory insurance system that paid for both health care and sickness benefit, out of the same pot, would provide the most cost effective balance of welfare, incentivising treating the treatable, rehabilitating and maximising function of the disabled and supporting the unable. If only ….
You make a plausible argument when you say: "Winter is when elective services are cancelled, beds fill with emergency admissions and waiting lists inevitably worsen. Spring and early summer are traditionally the recovery period—the months when hospitals “make hay” by catching up on planned care before the next winter arrives."
However, and for reasons that I am not sure anyone really understands, the reverse is true. When the waiting list is not growing excessively year-on-year, for instance in the pre-pandemic years from 2011 to 2019, we can detrend the data and see that it tends to grow seasonally in the spring (Feb-May) and shrink in the autumn and winter (Sep-Jan). A chart showing this pattern in some of those years is here: https://blog.gooroo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/08/03-Waiting-list-in-England.jpeg
Your points about 'validation' and other unreported removals are well made. If you are interested, there is further discussion of the March spike in unreported removals here:
to what extent should one start with a baseline on the y-axis of zero; on a chart; we look and perceive changes; were the chart to go from zero to 8 million, would it look less dramatic; I agree we are talking about 170,000 poor punters who have even longer wait times; a system drowning;
And how much care is now being paid for by patients in the private sector? I don’t have any data, but my impression is that those with a straightforward issue whose livelihood depends on functioning are increasingly going straight to private care, not even bothering to (try to) ‘see’ their GP first.
The main reason big companies include private health is to reduce absences due to treatable illness. The same is true for self employed ,it is a no brainer.
For those with savings the thought of a year in pain whilst waiting for orthopaedic surgery is also a powerful motive to go private.
Spot on. Friends who know they have arthritic hips no longer jump through the hoops.
1 Have gradually worsening hip pain
2 Barter with GP receptionist to see a clinician
3 Eventually an appointment with an ambulance person (aka paramedic)
4 Off to get an X-ray
5 Eventually come back to see another ambulance person (aka paramedic)
6 Given prescription for anti-inflammatories and something to protect stomach
7 Referred to see Physio
8 Eventually see Physio. Told to do exercises for a couple of months
9 Return to see Physio. No improvement. Referred to Extended Scope Physio
10 Extended Scope Physio refers to Orthopaedic Waiting List
11 Wait
OR
1) Pay the money and go straight to a private orthopaedic surgeon
NB notice the lack of any GP input in the above process.
I think the 'perhaps' in this paragraph/quote should be dropper: "Perhaps the greatest achievement has not been reducing waiting lists but normalising them: The extraordinary has become ordinary." - As in so many other, bureaucratically 'managed' walks of life, the extraordinary has indeed become ordinary. I wonder when the screw will be even more tightened and the next extraordinary will become the 'new ordinary.'
Doesn't bode well, does it ...
There also seems to have been slight of hand involved in removing patients from lists. Send a letter by second class mail that then doesn't arrive in time, so non attendance occurs. This is deemed not wanting to be seen, resulting in need for rereferal.
In other news, no doubt stocks of midazolam & morphine are at record high levels.
Even the BBC have noticed that the ONS is reporting falling 'healthy' life expectancy:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8r2nz82z3vo. Apparently it dropped 2.5 years (4%) over the 3 years from the measured period 2019-21 to 2022-24, for women & slightly less for men.
Of course, this is a purely subjective measure, who's to say how people perceive the difference between what they'd classify as being healthy as opposed to being unhealthy, though I suspect it's one of these self-fulfilling things. If people perceive that they're relatively unhealthy they'll live an even less healthy life, becoming more static. The tendency will be to find reasons why they can't do something rather than what can I do.
Here is a fun one. A recent acquaintance had her one knee replaced here in Devon. The surgeon who performed the op has recently retired, soooo she was assigned a new consultant as she needs her other knee replaced. The new consultant advised her that he uses a “cement” knee and if she did not want a cement knee she should change consultants now. How reassuring these “consultants” are 😂
Reading that, anyybody might reasonably conclude that HMG/NHS/bigpharma exerts some sort of influence over the MSM.
I thought that was no longer the case since the expiry? of Covid Clown World.
Although, "Waiting list shortens - due to death" - can't wait for that one.
Is it true gp surgeries are paid to prescribe the fat jabs?
According to AI - yes.
Average annual payment for average practise is £3,000 - but only for Mounjaro, apparently because it "Exhibits Clinical Superiority and Trial Outcomes".
One can only speculate what is really meant by the desired outcomes, although you are certain to eventually lose weight when dead.
About 20 years ago the NHS had a series of Independent Treatment Centres - privately run, no poaching of NHS staff, strict 5 year contract, etc seemed to work well at reducing the waiting list for run of the mill operations.
Perhaps that is the answer.
Exactly. I have long believed that a not for profit compulsory insurance system that paid for both health care and sickness benefit, out of the same pot, would provide the most cost effective balance of welfare, incentivising treating the treatable, rehabilitating and maximising function of the disabled and supporting the unable. If only ….
You make a plausible argument when you say: "Winter is when elective services are cancelled, beds fill with emergency admissions and waiting lists inevitably worsen. Spring and early summer are traditionally the recovery period—the months when hospitals “make hay” by catching up on planned care before the next winter arrives."
However, and for reasons that I am not sure anyone really understands, the reverse is true. When the waiting list is not growing excessively year-on-year, for instance in the pre-pandemic years from 2011 to 2019, we can detrend the data and see that it tends to grow seasonally in the spring (Feb-May) and shrink in the autumn and winter (Sep-Jan). A chart showing this pattern in some of those years is here: https://blog.gooroo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/08/03-Waiting-list-in-England.jpeg
Your points about 'validation' and other unreported removals are well made. If you are interested, there is further discussion of the March spike in unreported removals here:
(paywalled) https://www.hsj.co.uk/quality-and-performance/target-hit-as-unreported-removals-spike/7041732.article
(no paywall) https://blog.gooroo.co.uk/2026/05/target-hit-as-unreported-removals-spike/
...and discussion of the rebound of the waiting list after the March target had been met:
(paywalled) https://www.hsj.co.uk/quality-and-performance/waiting-list-grows-again/8123819.article
(no paywall) https://blog.gooroo.co.uk/2026/07/waiting-list-grows-again/
Keep up the good work!
to what extent should one start with a baseline on the y-axis of zero; on a chart; we look and perceive changes; were the chart to go from zero to 8 million, would it look less dramatic; I agree we are talking about 170,000 poor punters who have even longer wait times; a system drowning;
The NHS is well versed in fiddling the figures.Just because your GP has referred you doesnt mean you automatically go on a waitin list.