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I“It will take us many years to get back on top” of tackling the waiting lists, which are now longer than they have been for about 20 years, according to NHS Confederation Executive Director Danny Mortimer.
He told Times Radio that once the impacts of the virus spike in January and February are understood, waiting lists “will continue to be significantly higher than what we have seen for a long, long time.”
He suggested that the honesty of both politicians and the NHS with the public about the scale of the task and how long it will take will be “really, really important.”
Efforts will be needed to “explain as clearly as possible what is going to happen and what kind of choices are being taken and, sadly, how long it will take us to get back to where we desperately want to be,” Mr. Mortimer said.
“We need that investment in facilities, investment in people, and we must also understand that there are competitive pressures due to the virus, due to the impact that we have seen on the mental health of people with which we are going to have to deal with the longer term.
“There is also the ongoing reality of the vaccination program: all of those things need government investment.”
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