Hospital consultant Dermot O'Riordan has raised concerns the 'sharp elbowed' and the 'articulate middle class' may be prioritised for treatment as waiting lists grow due to the Covid crisis.

Latest figures show across Hertfordshire there are now more than 3000 people who have been waiting for 52-weeks or more for hospital treatment.

Concerns about who may get to the top of those lists fastest were raised by Dr O'Riordan at a joint meeting of the Hertfordshire and west Essex CCGs on Thursday (March 25), during a discussion about waiting lists and harm reviews.

"The second bit which I remain anxious about is that there are gong to be lots of long waiters," he said.

"And I am really nervous that we will end up prioritising the sharp elbowed and the articulate middle class, who know which buttons to press and who to talk to and how to get the systems working in their favour.

"And there are a lot of other patients who are too polite to bother doctors and the system etc who will not make a fuss who actually may have at least as great clinical need.

"It's really hard – I don't have an easy answer.

"But somehow across the board we need to have a system whereby we truly are prioritising on clinical need and not on your ability to know how to work the system in your favour."

Dr O'Riodan is a member of the East and North Herts CCG governing body which includes the Lister Hospital.