Hospitals in the South East are being told to delay routine patient appointments for eight weeks, otherwise they will not be paid for them.
Here's the link.
So, fail to achieve government targets and be damned.
Exceed them and be financially crippled (albeit temporarily).
On the other hand, I can see the Strategic Health Authority's point of view: the PCTs have to contract for an amount of "activity" and then pay for anything which exceeds that anyway (under Payment By Results, the national tariff). There's a big deficit heading Patsy's way, and of course she said that she'd take personal responsibility for achieving financial balance. Lets hope she isn't allowed to dodge it.
Although I personally thought that a bit of an oxymoron, a cabinet minister taking personal responsibility for their area of responsibility...
What about the patients? The only people who are talking about them are the consultants. But what do doctors know about health care, hmmm?
And there was me thinking the political silly season had passed already.
2 comments:
The minimum period is being enforced by primary care trusts because a drive to meet government waiting time targets was costing too much money.
Oh, so because actually MEETING targets was costing too much money, now we're supposed to take active steps NOT to meet targets?
And this at the same time as all that babble about making hospitals compete for patients?
This is exactly the kind of political idiocy that's sending the NHS on a fast lift to hell.
Oxymoron indeed; Patsy Dimwitt's signed her own death warrant, and I hope she isn't bailed out by Blair this time.
And doctors, knowing things about healthcare? Good heavens, man. Stop blaspheming. It's obvious that only executives know anything about healthcare delivery.
LOL, you ain't wrong there...
(BTW, been meaning to add you to my blog roll, so ta for the comment, makes linking easier)
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