Covid-19: UK saw largest fall of 25 European countries in orthopaedic surgery rates during pandemic

Germany, for example, only reduced its hip and knee replacement rates by 7% and 11% in 2020 compared with 2019, found the Health at a Glance: Europe 20221 report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and European Commission. Paton said that there are fewer doctors, nurses, and hospital beds in the UK than in most European countries, which also contributed to the significant interruption of elective surgery. [...]over 780 000 people in England have started treatment for cancer since March 2020—94% within a month—while breast and cervical cancer screening were 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.”