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Britain may be Europe’s hobbling man, according to figures showing the drop in the number of hip and knee surgeries as a result of the Covid pandemic was greater in the UK than in any other EU country.
The number of hip replacement operations in the UK fell by 46% in 2020, compared to just 7% in Germany and 12% in France. Meanwhile, the number of knee operations in the UK has fallen by 68%, compared to just 3% in Finland and an average of 24% across the EU.
The government is still scrambling to address a growing alternative care backlog, which topped 7 million people in September, according to a study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the European Commission.
Last month, the health secretary, Steve Barclay, announced a £1.5bn plan for 50 new elective surgery hubs in hospitals, but nursing strikes now threaten fresh delays.
In addition, the UK increased its flu vaccination and breast cancer screening rates for women aged 50 to 69 more than the average EU country, a Europe-wide analysis of the epidemic’s impact on health systems across the continent shows.
A comprehensive assessment found that Covid-19 has reduced life expectancy in the EU by more than a year in 2021, compared to pre-pandemic levels, with most EU countries experiencing the largest reductions since the Second World War.
By the end of October 2022, more than 1.4 million deaths from Covid had occurred in 27 EU countries as a direct or indirect result of the epidemic, with nine out of 10 deaths among people over 60 years of age.
The NHS prioritized cancer treatment throughout the pandemic, while staffing numbers were under huge pressure as thousands of health workers had to be isolated and wards treated for the virus as a result of Covid.
A spokesman for NHS England said: “It is wrong to suggest that the NHS close services during a pandemic. In fact, more than 780,000 people have started cancer treatment in England since March 2020 – 94% in one month. Breast and cervical cancer screenings during the epidemic were fifth higher than the EU average and waiting times for hip and knee replacements were the third lowest in the UK.
“While fewer people came forward in the early months of the epidemic, the NHS has worked very hard to encourage people to get screened for relevant symptoms, and thanks to our biggest ever national cancer awareness campaign and record numbers of GP appointments, more people than ever before ever being screened for cancer – more than 250,000 people in September alone.”
The OECD study also highlighted the epidemic’s impact on young people’s mental health. It reports: “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 levels at least twice as high as in older age groups.
“Many children and young people also spent less time engaging in physical activity and had worse nutritional habits, with signs of increased child overweight and obesity in some countries.”
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