Look What is Coming!

The following is not an "essay," but an email from a British subject now living in the USA.
I will be commenting on it in a later post.

Hi Jane,

Here is some information about the UK National Health Service (NHS) which we were discussing at the church lunch.

I've attached results from a search I made in 2006 on the NHS website itself. Just as an example, I chose: Day Patient, Urology, a Postcode (Zip) from a typical small, industrial town in the North of England and a 25 mile radius. First attachment has the completed search form. Second attachment has the delay results in days, these are scary!

This is only half of the story. Delays in getting access to a specialist who will decide on the treatment are almost as long.

The information doesn't seem to be available any longer so I couldn't update the search. However, below is a statement taken from the current version of their website: www.nhs.uk

Terry


"The waiting time for an outpatient appointment is the time from when you are referred by your GP, until the consultant's next free appointment. Your GP will advise you about your appointment date.
The current waiting time for an initial outpatient's appointment should be no longer than 13 weeks. Once at the outpatient clinic, you should be seen within 30 minutes of your appointment time.

The waiting time to actually receive hospital treatment can vary depending on your local PCT. However, by the end of 2008, no patient should have to wait longer than 18 weeks for hospital treatment, after referral by their GP.

If your doctor, or dentist, refers you urgently with suspected cancer, you should be seen by a specialist within two weeks. If you are suffering from chest pains, and angina is suspected, you should be admitted to specialist chest pain clinic within two weeks."

The following was contained in an attachment:

Day outpatient waiting time for urology given in days.

Airsdale - shortest 143 - longest 147

East Lancashire - shortest 64 - longest 65

Bradford Teaching - shortest 68 - longest 111

Lancashire Teaching -shortest 176 -longest 183

Calderdale and Hutterfeld - shortest 42 -longest 133