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14/11/2011
Lansley Criticised Over Minimum Wait Ban
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has come under criticism on Monday after banning Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) from enforcing minimum waiting times on referrals.
Mr Lanley claimed the move was in the interests of "patient choice", while he also announced caps on operations that "do not take account of the healthcare needs of individual patients".
However, Dr Shane Gordon of the NHS Alliance GP Commissioning Federation said the ruling would inevitably leave clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) making tough decisions weighing up the needs of individual patients versus the needs to the population.
Dr Gordon said it would be acceptable for PCTs, and in the future CCGs, to have thresholds for certain niche treatments or where there are alternative treatments available but "blanket bans" were "not acceptable".
"I would suggest the focus is on the right pathways to the most effective treatments. That is a good area for CCGs to work on with colleges," Dr Gordon said.
The decision by the Health Minister came after an investigation by the Co-operation and Competition Panel into the implementation of Mr Lanley's new policly of "patient choice" in the NHS.
Andrew Lansley asked the Panel to advise on any instances where PCTs were not acting in the best interests of patients or the taxpayer. The report identified minimum waiting times on patient referrals for treatments, which the NHS had been using to make savings as part of the £20 million in cuts they have to make.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: “This is just the beginning of a range of measures we hope to introduce to make the NHS truly patient focused. I want a health service that works around patients – not the other way around."
(DW)
Mr Lanley claimed the move was in the interests of "patient choice", while he also announced caps on operations that "do not take account of the healthcare needs of individual patients".
However, Dr Shane Gordon of the NHS Alliance GP Commissioning Federation said the ruling would inevitably leave clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) making tough decisions weighing up the needs of individual patients versus the needs to the population.
Dr Gordon said it would be acceptable for PCTs, and in the future CCGs, to have thresholds for certain niche treatments or where there are alternative treatments available but "blanket bans" were "not acceptable".
"I would suggest the focus is on the right pathways to the most effective treatments. That is a good area for CCGs to work on with colleges," Dr Gordon said.
The decision by the Health Minister came after an investigation by the Co-operation and Competition Panel into the implementation of Mr Lanley's new policly of "patient choice" in the NHS.
Andrew Lansley asked the Panel to advise on any instances where PCTs were not acting in the best interests of patients or the taxpayer. The report identified minimum waiting times on patient referrals for treatments, which the NHS had been using to make savings as part of the £20 million in cuts they have to make.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: “This is just the beginning of a range of measures we hope to introduce to make the NHS truly patient focused. I want a health service that works around patients – not the other way around."
(DW)
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Working Directive 'Harming' Doctor Training
Restrictions on the working hours of doctors may be compromising surgical education and patient care, warn two senior US surgeons in an article published on bmj.com today. Gretchen Purcell Jackson and John Tarpley argue that greater flexibility is needed in applying these regulations.
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