Reports this week have shown that almost 7,000 people are waiting for lifesaving transplants in the UK – the highest the number has been in six years.
The reports have shown that from April 2020 to March 2021, some key services were closed due to the pandemic. Whilst many were rapidly reinstated and transplants started to take place again, the closures have resulted in delays and waiting lists growing.
The reports have also found that during the peak of the pandemic, there were concerns about caring safely for patients receiving transplants, as resources were diverted to other parts of the NHS.
This was in combination with making careful judgements about the risks and benefits of patients having major surgery, particularly considering that people awaiting transplants often do have compromised immune systems, leaving them vulnerable to infections. This led to some patients being taken off the transplant list.
Many transplant centres across the UK are starting to tackle the backlog of referrals and put people back on waiting lists.
Comment
It is now hoped that recovery is well underway, but this story certainly highlights yet more ways in which the effects of the pandemic on the NHS are widespread and how the battle is just beginning to get back to pre-Covid “normality”.
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Danielle Young is a Senior Associate in our highly regarded Medical Negligence team.
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