Ministers allowing NHS bosses to delay care for patients in “desperate need of treatment” to cut costs is “absurd,” the BMA has said.
The union’s criticism came after health minister Karin Smyth said it was acceptable for NHS organisations to impose minimum waiting times, limiting the number of patients treated in order to save money.
NHS rules state that no patient should wait longer than 18 weeks from GP referral to planned treatment. But earlier this year it was reported that some local integrated care boards (ICBs) had put in place minimum waits, typically between 12 and 18 weeks, in order to control costs.1
Longer waiting times lead to a decrease in activity which can lower costs, for example by reducing reliance on agency workers who are more expensive than permanent staff. …
