Cornwall waiting lists soar for non-urgent treatments

Bodmin Hospital where a new diagnostic centre has been set up to help tackle waiting lists

Thousands of people in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have been stuck on waiting lists for non-urgent treatments, some for up to two years.

The number of people waiting for planned operations and treatment has spiralled to more than 4,500 in Cornwall since 2020.

Elective and planned care includes procedures which are not considered to be urgent and are organised in advance.

They include hernia repairs, cataract surgery and cosmetic procedures.

In March 2020 there were 49 people waiting 52 weeks for planned care but in September 2022 that had leapt to 4,558 according to figures shared with the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board (ICB).

In 2020 there were no people waiting two years for treatment but in September that had increased to 125, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

The figures also show there are 2,150 people who have been waiting for 65 weeks and 838 waiting 78 weeks, in 2020 there were none.

At a meeting of the ICB, which brings together people working across the NHS and in social services at Cornwall Council, members heard about work being done to try and cut the waiting list.

A number of new services have been commissioned or are being planned to help reduce waiting times and improve the situation for patients.

These include a new community diagnostic centre in Bodmin, a community diagnostic centre at West Cornwall Hospital and an elective surgical hub in Bodmin.

The Bodmin diagnostic centre is now able to provide CT scans for patients.

A presentation stated: "Reducing diagnostic wait times and achieving the 99% standard of tests being conducted within six weeks, will enable clinicians to treat people faster or determine if the patient needs to be on the wait list at all."

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