The number of hip replacements fell by 46% in 2020 in the UK, compared to just 7% in Germany and 12% in France. Meanwhile, the number of knee operations fell by 68% in the UK, compared to just 3% in Finland and an average of 24% across the EU. Graph The figures, from a study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the European Commission, come as the government tries to clear the growing elective care backlog, which topped 7 million people in September. Last month, Health Secretary Steve Barclay announced a £1.5bn plan for 50 new elective surgery hubs in hospitals, but strikes by nurses are now threatening further delays. On the plus side, the UK has increased rates of flu vaccination and breast cancer screening for women aged 50 to 69 by more than the EU country average, Europe-wide analysis of the impact of the pandemic shows in health systems across the continent. The broad estimate found that Covid-19 led to a reduction of more than a year in life expectancy in the EU in 2021 compared to the pre-pandemic level, with the largest reductions seen in most EU countries since the second world war. Graph By the end of October 2022, more than 1.4 million deaths had occurred from Covid and as a direct or indirect result of the pandemic in the 27 EU countries, with nine out of 10 deaths in people aged over 60. The NHS prioritized cancer treatment throughout the pandemic when there was huge pressure on staff numbers as tens of thousands of health workers had to self-isolate as a result of Covid and wards were given over to treating the virus. A spokesman for NHS England said: “It is simply wrong to suggest that the NHS will close services during the pandemic. In fact, more than 780,000 people in England have started cancer treatment since March 2020 – 94% within a month. Screening for breast and cervical cancer was around a fifth higher than the EU average during the pandemic, and waiting times for hip and knee replacements in the UK were the third lowest. “While fewer people came forward in the early months of the pandemic, the NHS has worked extremely hard to encourage people to get checked for symptoms and thanks to our biggest national cancer awareness campaign and record numbers of GP appointments, more people than ever before are being screened for cancer – over 250,000 people in September alone.” The OECD study also highlighted the impact of the pandemic on young people’s mental health. It said: “In many European countries such as Belgium, Estonia, France, Sweden and Norway, the proportion of young people reporting depressive symptoms more than doubled during the pandemic, reaching prevalence levels at least twice as high as older adults groups. “Many children and young people also spent significantly less time on physical activity and had worse eating habits, with evidence of an increase in childhood overweight and obesity in some countries.”
