Economics -
National Health Service 3
The
Government has confirmed some NHS patients will
be sent abroad in a bid to cut hospital waiting
lists. Ministers have given the go-ahead for
overseas treatment, following a ruling by the
European Court of Justice that patients facing
"undue delay" in their home countries
could seek treatment in other EU states. The
decision could lead to one of the biggest
shakeups in the National Health Service since it
was created in 1948. He said the judgment
"will have an impact in all European
countries including the UK. I will be seeking to
discuss its implications with other European
health ministers."
Critics say the move is proof that the NHS cannot
cope. Dr Evan Harris, Liberal Democrat health
spokesman, said, "This is an admission by
the Government of its failure to address the real
problems of the health service during its first
four years." He said the policy could
"even lead to British nurses and doctors
being recruited by the European hospitals to
treat British patients."
The Health Secretary said the change "will
not happen overnight" as it may require
legislation and time to put in place "robust
systems to guarantee patients high standards of
care and taxpayers good value for money". He
said the overwhelming majority of NHS patients
would continue to be treated by the health
service. "But in future primary care trusts
will have the option of securing treatment for
NHS patients in other European countries."
The Government has come under increasing
criticism about waiting lists delays and Tony
Blair made the health service a priority in the
2001 general election campaign.
Hospital
bosses were accused of falsifying waiting lists
to meet Government targets. Three directors were
suspended from duty pending a probe at
Scarborough and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust.
The Audit Commission, who made a spot-check,
found appointment records had been altered to
give the impression services were run
efficiently. Large numbers of patients had been
erased from records, waiting list times changed
and referral dates were moved forward three
months.
A
new NHS hospital had a beds crisis, just ONE
MONTH after it opened. The £150million Great
Western Hospital in Swindon, Wilts, had to keep
patients waiting on trolleys for 12 hours and
cancelled operations. Hospital bosses blamed a
dramatic rise in emergency cases.
NHS
Trust bosses have instructed ambulance staff in
Lancashire to stop calling patients 'love',
'mate' or 'pal' after a woman complained a
paramedic called her son 'mate'. Crews have been
advised to stick to 'sir' or 'madam' instead. A
spokesman said, "Whilst we expect our
members to be professional, the local dialect and
language has to be taken into account." John
Fox, of the Association of Professional Ambulance
Personnel, added, "I know we are trying to
establish a rapport, but it is a two-way street.
I don't know the details of the incident, but if
someone has made a complaint simply because they
were called 'mate' then I think it is
petty."
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