NHS hospital 'playing games' with cancer waiting times
Martin Beckford
The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust is telling GPs that if patients cannot attend a specific appointment for cancer checks within the recommended two weeks, they should hold off making the referral.
The tactic could mean that those with suspected tumours have to wait longer before they can be seen by a specialist, but it will stop the hospital missing a Government target for carrying out initial cancer tests within a fortnight.
Dr Paul Roblin, chief executive of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Local Medical Committee, told the trade magazine Pulse: This is the perverse effect of targets. People start playing games if targets are likely to be breached.
Pour citer cette ressource :
"NHS hospital 'playing games' with cancer waiting times", La Clé des Langues [en ligne], Lyon, ENS de LYON/DGESCO (ISSN 2107-7029), juin 2011. Consulté le 30/05/2023. URL: http://cle.ens-lyon.fr/anglais/archives/archives-revue-de-presse/nhs-hospital-playing-games-with-cancer-waiting-times