Hospitals in the UK are struggling to meet patient demand. The goal for the hospitals is to see all patients within 26 weeks of appointment request (although some patients are seen much sooner depending on their health care needs). Because of an overload of patients, some people with conditions that are not considered serious are being delayed past the 26-week target date.
People who are seeking treatment for problems with varicose veins fall into this category. These patients are not considered to be high-risk because varicose veins are considered to be more of a cosmetic condition than a medical condition. However, they can be a serious medical condition and treatment should not be delayed in those patients seeking care.
Hospitals that recently found themselves swamped with patients have gotten in trouble for fiddling with records to hide their delays. Those varicose vein patients that were delayed past the 26-week target date had their records changed to indicate that not quite as much time as this had passed. The hospitals were caught in the act and have now apologized but something still needs to be done to make sure these patients are getting on-time treatment.
Question of the Day: Is varicose vein treatment one of the procedures that should be delayed if a hospital is struggling under the weight of too many patients?
