14 day cancer promise for NHS patients may be scrapped
The British Prime Minister David Cameron has suggested that NHS patients suspected of having cancer may no longer be entitled to a guaranteed appointment by a specialist within two weeks of referral. During a House of Commons debate the coalition suggested that the guarantee may be dropped if medical staff believe it does not improve the quality of care. During the Labour government the NHS provided a special two week ‘guarantee’ for cancer patients who were referred to specialists by their GPs. The Conservatives used to criticise what they saw as ‘unnecessary’ NHS targets, however many Labour politicians believed that this guarantee helped to limit the anxiety patients experience when they find out they may have cancer. The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition have hoped to drop many of Labour’s NHS targets and allow doctors move freedom to make their own decisions regarding treatment. It is widely thought that this will encourage more Brits into paying for care outside the NHS.
During the weekly Prime Minsiter’s Questions debate on Wednesday, Harriet Harman strongly challenged Mr Cameron to confirm whether he would keep the two-week target or scrap it. Mr Cameron said that the target could eventually be dropped, which would allow doctors to prioritise certain patients over others, depending on their personal circumstances. He described how Labour’s targets could not be justified by their outcomes and that clinical outcomes would require clinical targets.
However, health ministers insisted that the targets would remain in force. Earl Howe, a health minister in the House of Lords, said that the 14 day target had serious clinical reasoning and that there were no reasons to scrap it. Despite this, the official spokesman for the Prime Minister said that decisions on such targets would be made by a special Commissioning Board, overseeing the NHS on behalf of the government. Instead, clinical experts, rather than politicians, would be the individuals making decisions regarding waiting times and referral targets. Cameron’s spokesman said that he believed the new approach would lead to an overall improvement in the quality of care.
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