A new analysis has revealed that doctors are making NHS delays worse by not sending patients to quieter hospitals. As per ministers, patients must be told if they could get the treatment any faster some place else. Research by the Independent Healthcare Provider Network shows that millions could slash their waiting times just with a short drive.

They could be treated weeks or even months sooner if they travel an average of 12 miles to hospitals with smaller backlogs. NHS rules give patients the right to be treated at any hospital that offers what they need. However, GPs just refer them locally.

IHPN chief David Hare, while speaking to media said, "This right to choose has been in place for years but too few people know about it. Waits could get worse as those GPs taking industrial action are set to direct even more patients straight to ­hospitals.

This comes in when a latest investigation revealed that about 19,000 NHS patients were left waiting in the accident and emergency (A&E) department for three days over a period of 12-months. From April 2023 to March 2024, nearly 400,000 people were left waiting for over 24 hours across the A&E departments. This is a 5% rise from the previous year's figures.

The investigation exposed "suffering and indignity faced by patients on a daily basis." It came after an undercover reporter secretly filmed himself working as a trainee healthcare assistant inside the emergency department of the Royal Shrewsbury hospital for two months. The footage shows one patient waiting for about 30 hours in the seating area. A suspected stroke sufferer was also present for a period of 24 hours.

One of the clips also showed an elderly man who was forced to urinate in a trolley on the corridor which was full of staff and other patients.

A spokesperson of the hospital, while speaking to media said, "We understand our challenges and are investing in our services and making steady improvements as a trust, as noted in our recent CQC report. However, there is still much more to do; we do not want to be in a position where we are caring for patients in corridors."

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