LONDON: Starting Monday, patients covered under the National Health Scheme have the right to chose the hospital where they would like to have non-emergency hospital treatment. They will be able to pick up from at least four hospitals or clinics upon referral by their family doctor.
Health secretary Patricia Hewitt, announcing the reform measure, said choice is now a reality in the NHS. The facility will extend to treatment at independent hospitals outside the NHS by 2008.
The government claims the reforms will benefit both the NHS and patients as bureaucratic delays in the current referral process will go and there will be fewer cancellations as patients agree the date and time of their appointments. Besides, competition among accredited hospitals to get patients will improve the quality of health care.
As per the current practice, hospitals are often paid a set amount regardless of the amount of treatment provided. The new regime will offer payment for the number of patients these hospitals treat.
The department of health has brought out booklets for each Primary Care Trust with the names of hospitals available, the nature of services these hospitals provide and a scorecard on waiting times, cancelled operations, cleanliness, hospital infections and other factors.
There are concerns expressed that the reform could lead to insolvency of some hospitals. London Health Emergency (LHE), a pressure group, said it is issuing a blunt warning that 2006 could see the first NHS hospitals forced into liquidation if the government does not address the fundamental flaws in their new finance system for healthcare.
There are other concerns too. The measure may prompt an advertising war among hospitals and critics say the whole process could boomerang with less popular hospitals forced to close down. The health department said it would publish guidelines on advertising this year.
Hewitt admitted that popular hospitals would come under extra pressure. She said such hospitals will have opportunities to expand.
Posted
on : Tue, 03 Jan 2006 02:05 GMT | General News
By : Mike Lawson
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