Patients unaware of waiting list service - watchdog

A independent health watchdog has highlighted "serious concerns" about how patients are supported while waiting for treatment at Rotherham Hospital.

A "waiting well" service was created by Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust to support people on lists for planned surgery or treatment, but, in a patient survey, Healthwatch Rotherham found 96% of respondents were unaware of the service.

During their research, some patients told the watchog they felt "anxious, forgotten, and unsupported" while waiting for treatment.

Bob Kirton, managing director at the trust, welcomed the group's findings "as patient feedback is invaluable in helping us understand where we are doing well and where we need to improve".

Manager at the watchdog, Kym Gleeson, said the service "needed to be built into a patient journey, not left for patients to discover by chance".

Gleeson confirmed more than 2,000 patients completed a survey which highlighted a lack of "clear communication and expectation-setting" between medical professionals and patients.

Many respondents reported not being given a referral timeframe, while others had been waiting anywhere from 16 weeks to more than two years for medical procedures.

The NHS Modernisation Bill has proposed that Healthwatch groups will be scrapped, with their responsibilities instead transferred to other bodies.

The Local Government Association (LGA) criticised the decision and said it could leave the NHS marking it's own homework.

Kirton, from the hospital trust, said: "While it is disappointing that so many respondents were not aware of our Waiting Well support, it provides us with a clear opportunity to strengthen the support we provide to patients waiting for surgery or treatment."

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