Good evening

It is not the best of times to be requiring elective hospital treatment.

Many of us will know people who are waiting for an operation which on the face of it is not ‘urgent’ and certainly not an emergency. Knee and hip replacements are a great example of the many treatments which have been delayed or cancelled as hospitals understandably prioritise those with Covid.

If we are optimistic and believe that the worst of the pandemic is behind us, it is now time to start thinking about how we can get the NHS back on track and stop the thousands of people needing elective surgery from suffering pain every day.

Health bosses are saying that current waiting lists - around 5.5m people in total - could take around seven years and £10bn to clear.

That is a lot of money, but unless we want to be spending millions on social care and pain relief drugs to look after people who can no longer live independently without treatment, we are going to have to find the money from somewhere.

This pandemic affects many more than those who contract Covid.

Until next time, take care,

Gillian

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