Patients across the East Midlands who have neurological diseases and disorders are facing long waits due to staffing problems at Nottingham University Hospitals. The Nottingham-based neurology services treat people with conditions such as Parkinson's, epilepsy and Motor Neurone Disease and serious concerns have been raised over patient safety.
The Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) neurology services serve Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Derbyshire, with 15 consultants dedicated to working across this region. This is, however, half the number that work in Sheffield, for example, which serves a similar-sized population.
And concerns were raised after there had been a "significant increase" in the number of people being sent back to GPs following referrals. Dr Irfan Malik, a GP in Sherwood, says the emergence of a two-tier healthcare system and the introduction of a new virtual triage system has made it more difficult for patients to access specialist neurology services.
