Nearly 500 Birmingham patients scrubbed from waiting lists

The Birmingham Community Healthcare has sent letters to patients, explaining the situation

Nearly 500 patients, some elderly or with disabilities, have been removed from waiting lists for therapy because of staffing shortages in Birmingham.

Birmingham Community Healthcare trust said it was unable to provide non-urgent assessment, care or treatment.

Patients have been told that if they do not respond within 14 days, their referral will be closed.

The trust said it had to prioritise clinical services for those with the greatest clinical need.

In total, 311 patients have been written to regarding occupational therapy and 182 waiting for physiotherapy.

A trust spokesperson said that the combination of increased demand and increased staff sickness meant that it had to prioritise the patients who were most at risk of needing to be admitted to hospital, to protect the whole healthcare system.

They said: "Decisions regarding clinical prioritisation are undertaken by senior clinical specialists in each speciality and patients and families are always informed how to make contact, should their condition change and they need to seek advice."

Patients who have been assessed as being as low-risk have been advised to contact the service if they still require an assessment within the next two weeks.

The trust said it had received some phone calls from patients who had received the letter and they have been reassessed to work out whether they did need treatment.

NHS England said it was an operational decision made by the trust.