Posted on 07/28/2011 3:42:30 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
Health service trusts are “imposing pain and inconvenience” by making patients wait longer than necessary, in some cases as long as four months, the study found.
Executives believe the delays mean some people will remove themselves from lists “either by dying or by paying for their own treatment” claims the report, by an independent watchdog that advises the NHS.
The Co-operation and Competition Panel says the tactic is one of a number used by managers that “excessively constrain” patients’ rights to choose where to be operated upon, and damage hospitals’ ability to compete for planned surgery.
It claims unfair practices are “endemic” in some areas of England and pose a “serious risk” to the Government’s drive to open up the health service to competition.
But managers, who are already rationing surgery for cataracts, hips, knees and tonsils, say they must restrict treatment as the NHS is under orders to make £20 billion of efficiency savings by 2015.
Lord Carter of Coles, chairman of the panel, said: “Commissioners have a difficult job in the current financial climate, but patients’ rights are often being restricted without a valid and visible reason.”
Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: “It is outrageous that some primary care trusts are imposing minimum waiting times. The suggestion that it could save money because patients will remove themselves from the list by going private or dying is a callous and cynical manipulation of people’s lives and should not be tolerated.”
Since 2006, NHS patients who need routine elective care have had the right to choose between at least four hospitals including privately-run units. But there have been claims that trusts, the local bodies that pay for treatment, restrict choice and favour some hospitals to balance their books. The panel investigated whether the allegations
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Obama the Deceiver: “You’ll be able to keep your healthcare exactly as it is now under my plan.”
Coming soon to America under ObamaCare.
BM to mock socialists I`m familiar with
A look at the future for USA without repeal of Obamacare, and nobody’s even talking about it now.
rationing.
THERE ARE NO DEATH PANELS!
“We’re sorry Mum, but we can’t afford to do that heart operation on you. But, you’re in luck... We have a special on gall bladder operations today, so we’re gonna to remove your gall bladder.”
“Eh?...what did you say dearie? I didn’t hea......sizzzzzzz”
“OK nurse, the old biddie is out...wheel her on into the O.R.”
Well, this is how the American SS Disability system works also.
You often have to fight for benefits, and it can take literally years to win. Three, four years is not uncommon.
So who gets disability, if they need it? People who have resources to last the years it takes, or they go and live in the woods with the homeless, and lose everything else they have.
Everybody knows the reason the government does it that way is that they figure maybe in three years you’ll die, or give up.
bump
Everybody’s covered!
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