NHS surgery criteria 'tightened'
Friday 8th April 2011
Patients are now waiting longer for knee and hip surgery due to new money-saving restrictions within the NHS, it has been reported.
The BBC found that patients now must show greater disability or be in more pain to qualify for hip or knee surgery, potentially worsening the outcome of the surgery.
Data was collected from 692 surgeons who were interviewed about their primary care trusts, with the news source reporting that the changes are part of an effort by the NHS to save £20 billion by 2015.
Peter Kay, president of the British Orthopaedic Association, told the BBC: "The double jeopardy is that patients wait longer in pain, and when they have the operation, the result might not have been as good as it otherwise would have been had they had it early."
Medical professionals will have a chance to have their say on such issues, with the introduction of the government's listening exercise, which is to engage with NHS staff in order to promote NHS modernisation.
Written by Mathew Horton
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