The scale of the covid-19 pandemic demanded greater collaboration between the pharmaceutical industry and the NHS. Both rose to the call and now must work together to address the ongoing impact on wider NHS services.
With the NHS forced to quickly reallocate resources at the onset of the pandemic, treatment was postponed or cancelled for many people with chronic conditions. Two years on, we see the lasting impact. The backlog of patients awaiting planned NHS care is over 6 million and growing.1 Waiting lists for gastroenterology treatment are approximately 50 per cent longer than before the pandemic.2
Sponsored by
The impact of covid-19 beyond the backlog
A lack of awareness of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) in primary care leads to delays in referrals to specialist care.3 With GPs seeing far fewer patients during the pandemic, many referrals will have been missed or delayed.4
A survey of people living with IBD, by IBDrelief in partnership with Janssen, illustrated the impact of covid-19 beyond missed appointments. One respondent noted “I feel much more anxious because of covid-19 and have experienced more panic attacks. This has affected my IBD.”5
The government has directed an extra £5.4bn to cutting waiting lists and bringing time to diagnosis back to pre-pandemic levels by 2025.4,6 However, IBD is low in the list of priorities, with cancer and elective surgery dominating.6,7 Ensuring continuity in IBD care is an essential in addressing the impact of the pandemic and improving outcomes for patients.
Collaborating for progress
Janssen is looking at collaborative partnerships to support the NHS as it strives to address the backlogs and improve pathways. We are working with policymakers to increase awareness of IBD’s impact and economic burden to support investment in NHS IBD service pathways.
Putting learning into practice
The global health community faces enormous challenges in creating a post-pandemic world that supports all patients. At Janssen, we know an ongoing commitment is needed to properly address the backlog as one of the biggest concerns facing the NHS in the coming years and look forward to working with the health system in innovative ways.
This article was produced and paid for by the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson
Date: October 2022
Job number: EM-109174
References:
1The Health Foundation. Waiting for NHS hospital care: the role of the independent sector. Available at: https://www.health.org.uk/publications/long-reads/waiting-for-nhs-hospital-care-the-role-of-the-independent-sector Last accessed: October 2022.
2LCP. NHS waiting list tracker. Available at: https://nhswaitlist.lcp.uk.com/ Last accessed: October 2022.
3Alharbi R, Almahmudi F, Makhdoom Y, Mosli M. Knowledge and attitudes of primary healthcare physicians toward the diagnosis and management of inflammatory bowel disease following an educational intervention: A comparative analysis. Saudi J Gastroenterol. 2019 Sep-Oct;25(5):277-285. doi: 10.4103/sjg.SJG_169_19.
4The Economist. The government is promising to tackle the NHS backlog. Available at https://www.economist.com/britain/2022/02/03/the-government-is-promising-to-tackle-the-nhs-backlog Last accessed: October 2022
5IBDrelief. Quality of Life. Impact of IBD on physical and emotional health: Findings from an IBDrelief survey. Available at: https://www.ibdrelief.com/impact-of-ibd-on-physical-and-emotional-health.pdf Last accessed: October 2022
6Crohn’s & Colitis UK. Tackling the NHS backlog: Information and support for you. Available at: https://crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/news-stories/news-items/tackling-the-nhs-backlog-information-and-support-for-you Last accessed: October 2022.
7Government response to “Clearing the backlog caused by the pandemic” report from the Health and Social Care Select Committee. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-clearing-the-backlog-caused-by-the-pandemic-report-from-the-health-and-social-care-select-committee/government-response-to-clearing-the-backlog-caused-by-the-pandemic-report-from-the-health-and-social-care-select-committee Last accessed: October 2022
