NHS cancer surgeons are out of work as referrals have dropped by 75% – as doctors warned non-coronavirus patients may have died because they have been "neglected".
With 25% of NHS doctors redeployed to care for COVID-19 patients, thousands of medics have said other patients have been forgotten about and they are "significantly worried" about long-term clinical demands on the NHS.
A survey of more than 16,000 UK doctors by the British Medical Association (BMA) found there are "serious concerns some patients may have deteriorated and possibly died" because their care has "effectively been placed on hold".
Medicine shortages are also a major concern, with more than a quarter not being able to get the correct medicine, gases or therapeutics.
The survey, the largest gauging UK doctors' opinion since the crisis started, found a third said these shortages, or anticipated future shortages, have forced them to offer less effective treatment.
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Shortages included inhalers, antibiotics, anaesthetic drugs, oxygen, painkillers and hormone replacement therapy medicines for menopausal symptoms.
One cancer surgeon said the number of referrals had dropped by a quarter and they feared how this would impact on patients.
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They were also concerned they would be "hit with a large wave of referrals" once the COVID-19 situation eases – with "more advanced cases and worse outcomes" in a health system that was already under major pressure before the pandemic.
GP practices will experience "significant" impact when patients who have delayed seeing their doctor seek care, the survey found.
Another cancer surgeon said: "I'm struggling with being a surgeon but not being able to offer operations."
And one doctor added that "no one cares in the slightest" about parts of the NHS not looking after COVID-19 patients, leaving staff "drowning" as they try to keep services running.
A recurring theme since the pandemic hit the UK at the end of February, the survey found there are still problems with getting PPE, with almost half of doctors having to source their own equipment or rely on donations.
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BMA council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul said: "While all parts of the NHS have rallied around in a bid to meet the immediate rocketing demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, these findings bear out the fears held by many doctors that parts of the health service – and moRead More – Source
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