THE Royal College of Surgeons has branded plans by doctors in Worcestershire to restrict access to replacement hip and knee operations as ‘alarming’.
Stephen Cannon, vice president of the Royal College spoke out after doctors in the county’s three clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) decided to make the move in a bid to save more than £2million off their budgets.
He said: “The CCGs’ policy decision to restrict access to NHS care, based on arbitrary pain and disability thresholds, is alarming. It is another example of how the huge financial strains the NHS is currently under are directly affecting patients.
“It is right to look at alternatives to surgery but this decision should be based on surgical assessment, not financial pressures.”
The top surgeon, a specialist in hip and knee surgery, added: “Although the CCGs claim this will save them £2million a year, this overlooks the longer term impact on patients of delayed treatment, prolonged pain, and potentially higher costs of treatment.
“For example, patients affected by these changes may require additional pain relief medication, and may still require surgery further down the line, which may be more complex.”
“We are concerned this is now happening up and down the country affecting thousands of patients. We fear this latest policy is just the tip of the iceberg.”
The county’s CCGs have also come under fire over suggestions obese patients or those with a body mass index over 35 should engage actively with a weight management programme to cut their weight by 10 per cent.
The cost cutting has arisen because although South Worcestershire and Wyre Forest CCGs are currently breaking even, Redditch & Bromsgrove CCG is looking at a deficit of £5.8million.
Last Thursday South Worcestershire and Redditch and Bromsgrove CCGs approved plans to change the scoring on self-assessment form patients fill in for hip and knee surgery, in effect requiring them to be in greater need or in greater pain to trigger surgery.
This would shave 12 per cent of hip operations and 19 per cent of knee operations off waiting lists, netting a cash saving of £2,123,420 per annum.
A spokesperson for the county’s CCGs said the move would bring them in line with other CCGs in the UK: “When reviewing the criteria, the CCGs identified that local spend on hip and knee replacement surgery is around £2m higher than comparable CCGs using the NHS RightCare analysis packs,” they said.
“Reducing the score from 30 to 25 brings the Worcestershire CCGs into line with what other CCGs already do and would help to reduce this spend difference.
“If a patient feels that they require this surgery but do not meet these criteria, there is a clear appeals system.”
The proposal now goes before Wyre Forest CCG for its approval on February 7.
