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23/07/2003
NHS targets are endangering patient health, says Tories
The Conservative Party have called on the government to let hospitals operate without undue political interference following a damning report by an influential parliamentary committee yesterday.
The Public Administration Committee’s report claimed that up to 25 people had lost their sight in Bristol after a hospital cancelled their appointments in order to meet waiting time targets,
Shadow Secretary of State for Health Liam Fox also called upon the government to establish how widespread this practice has become.
“The government must establish exactly how widespread the practice of prioritising government NHS targets, at the expense of the health of patients, has become," he said.
“Clinicians should be able to decide when and where to treat their patients based on their clinical needs. They should not be forced to treat people according to political priorities set by a government determined to meet its waiting times targets at any cost.
“The Prime Minister was warned by the Director of cardiac-thoracic services at Bristol Royal Infirmary, Dr Peter Wilde, in 2000 that targets were distorting clinical priorities. Twenty-five people have now lost their sight.
"What more will it take for Ministers to let healthcare professionals do their jobs without constant political interference?"
(GMcG)
The Public Administration Committee’s report claimed that up to 25 people had lost their sight in Bristol after a hospital cancelled their appointments in order to meet waiting time targets,
Shadow Secretary of State for Health Liam Fox also called upon the government to establish how widespread this practice has become.
“The government must establish exactly how widespread the practice of prioritising government NHS targets, at the expense of the health of patients, has become," he said.
“Clinicians should be able to decide when and where to treat their patients based on their clinical needs. They should not be forced to treat people according to political priorities set by a government determined to meet its waiting times targets at any cost.
“The Prime Minister was warned by the Director of cardiac-thoracic services at Bristol Royal Infirmary, Dr Peter Wilde, in 2000 that targets were distorting clinical priorities. Twenty-five people have now lost their sight.
"What more will it take for Ministers to let healthcare professionals do their jobs without constant political interference?"
(GMcG)
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Following hard on the heels of a damning Panorama report on NHS targets on Sunday, the BMA's chairman has mounted a ferocious assault on the government – claiming that a "creeping, morale-sapping erosion of doctors' clinical autonomy" has been brought about by Whitehall interference.
Backlash mounts over government's NHS targets
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20 June 2005
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Government launches consultation on smoking proposals
The government is to begin consultation on proposals to ban smoking in most public places in England. The government hopes that the consultation will lead to a Bill being introduced in the autumn. The ‘Choosing Health’ Public Health White Paper published last November, unveiled proposals to ban smoking in all enclosed public spaces and workplaces.
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