Today’s Independent highlights the inevitable consequences of cost reduction in the NHS.
‘Hip replacements, cataract surgery and tonsil removal are among operations now being rationed in a bid to save the NHS money.
Two-thirds of health trusts in England are rationing treatments for “non-urgent” conditions as part of the drive to reduce costs in the NHS by £20bn over the next four years. One in three primary-care trusts (PCTs) has expanded the list of procedures it will restrict funding to in the past 12 months.’
Quite how this will be managed remains to be seen, but it is hard to see how the politically driven targets on waiting times and quality can be achieved.
