NHS pressures: How is the Sussex Community Trust performing?

The NHS is under pressure in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic with health services across the country struggling to contain bloating waiting lists and facing growing demand for urgent care.

NHS figures show performance has deteriorated across England during the Covid crisis – patients are now waiting longer in A&E departments, for routine cancer treatment and for ambulances.

But how did these services look before the pandemic?

We've taken a look at how health service performance at the Sussex Community Trust compares to three years ago.

Waiting Lists

A record 6.6 million people were waiting for routine, consultant-led hospital treatment in England in May, NHS England figures show.

This included 7,180 waiting for care at Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust – up from 4,706 last year and 4,980 in May 2019, before the pandemic.

NHS guidance says trusts should aim for 92% of patients to be seen within 18 weeks, but this target has not been met nationally since 2016.

In May, just 64% of patients who started treatment had been on the waiting list for less than 18 weeks, while more than 300,000 (5%) people started treatment after waiting for at least a year.

At the Sussex Community Trust, 79% of the patients who began treatment in May had been waiting up to 18 weeks – down from 98% before the pandemic.

In February, then Health Secretary Sajid Javid set out the post-Covid elective recovery plan for the NHS.

Mr Javid promised no patient will wait more than two years for treatment by July, but the Department for Health and Social Care admitted recently that this target has not been met.

The Nuffield Health Trust said "long waits and delayed care have been stubbornly established throughout the health and care services".

Sarah Scobie, deputy director of research, said: "Staffing shortages, ongoing waves of Covid-19 demand, and backlogs of postponed operations and appointments are having a ripple effect throughout the system and impacting people’s care."

Cancer Treatment

The pandemic also had a significant impact on cancer services across England, with Covid-related disruption leaving many patients in limbo.

NHS guidance says 85% of cancer patients with an urgent GP referral should begin treatment within 62 days.

Further NHS England figures show the one person who was referred for cancer treatment from their GP was treated within 62 days at the Sussex Community Trust – compared to all of the none patients in May 2019.

Nationally, 61% of people received treatment within 62 days in May – down from 78% in 2019 and well below the 85% target, which has not been met since December 2015.

Macmillan Cancer Support said the data shows "the system is still under huge strain" and urged the Government to prioritise the 10-year cancer plan to ensure the NHS is resourced to provide quality and timely cancer care.

Minesh Patel, head of policy, added: "It is a very turbulent time for cancer care and the wider NHS, and the current uncertainty in Westminster is deeply concerning.

"Cancer cannot wait for the chaos to subside."

Ambulance Response Times

Ambulance trusts have also struggled with growing pressures as a result of the pandemic.

Nationally, the average response time for major emergencies has more than doubled in the last three years, sitting at 51 minutes and 38 seconds in June, NHS England figures show.

The figures show response times on the South East Coast have also risen significantly throughout the pandemic.

In June 2019, ambulance teams at the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust responded to major emergencies in 21 minutes and 30 seconds.

This rose to 35 minutes and 31 seconds in the same month this year.

What the Government has said

The Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said it is growing the workforce with 4,300 more doctors and 10,200 more nurses recruited than last year and has commissioned NHS England to develop a long-term workforce plan.

"NHS staff have been working incredibly hard to bust the Covid backlogs and have treated more than 15 million patients in the last year," a spokesperson said.

"Our community diagnostic centres have delivered over 1.5 million additional checks since July 2021, and the number of people waiting more than two years for treatment has dropped by more than 80% since February."