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News... Healthcare News More than 16,000 NHS ops cancelled in three months
News... Healthcare News More than 16,000 NHS ops cancelled in three months | More than 16,000 NHS ops cancelled in three months |
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There has been an increase in the number of NHS operations cancelled at the last minute for non-clinical reasons, official figures reveal. Statistics released by the Department of Health (DH) show that almost 17,000 such operations were cancelled in the first three months of this year. During the quarter ending 31 March 2008, 16,800 operations were cancelled at the last minute for non-clinical reasons. In the same period in 2007, there were 14,600 cancelled operations, the DH said. Although cancelled operations account for just 1% of all elective NHS activity, it is thought that it is one of the reasons for the continued popularity of health insurance. The figures come days after the DH released statistics showing that the government was on track to meet what it said were "challenging" waiting list targets. Doctors have warned that efforts to meet those targets are having a negative impact on other areas of health service provision. Liberal Democrat shadow health secretary Norman Lamb said the "worrying rise" in the number of cancelled operations suggests that "patient care is the latest casualty of the government's obsession with targets". He said: "By rushing the treatment of certain patients to meet their 18 week target, other patients will have fallen by the wayside and seen their operations cancelled. "This is simply unacceptable and will have caused enormous distress to patients waiting for vital treatment, bringing further costs to hospitals having to rearrange operations." Link: http://www.hi-mag.com/healthinsurance/ Credit: Health Insurance Magazine. 30/5/2008 |
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