27.02.12
Rationing care may be necessary for NHS
The NHS may have to extend treatment rationing to cope with financial pressure and rising demand, according to a survey of 821 GPs in England.
Commissioned by the Nuffield Trust health think tank, the survey found that 85% predicted that Government will be forced to identify more clearly which treatments and care are available to patients and which are not.
Dr Judith Smith, the Nuffield Trust’s head of policy said: “The NHS is headed into a new era, with considerably constrained budgets and great decision-making by local clinicians, which could result in more variation in the care that is provided to patients.”
Dr Clare Gerada, chair of the Royal College of GPs, recommended making drug prescriptions smarter to reduce wastage, routine access to GPs and walk-in clinics to be scaled back and hospital maternity and intensive care units to be reduced in order to save money.
Only half of the GPs surveyed said they believed the NHS would succeed in making enough efficiency savings over the next five years to avoid having to cut back on certain services currently offered to the public.
83% of GPs fear that the health and social care Bill will lead to an even greater number of unpopular “postcode lotteries” in the availability of certain treatments, because clinical commissioning groups will each have different priorities, according to the survey.
Health minister Simon Burns said: “Blanket bans on treatment are unacceptable. A GP’s first responsibility will always be to their patient and decisions about treatment must be clinically justified.”
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