NHS England authorities paid £33 per patient to remove thousands of them from the lists, many still in great need

Until recently, the Health Secretary for England, Wes Streeting MP

In the Guardian today:

NHS England authorities have paid providers £33 per patient to remove thousands of them from the lists, many still in great need, and a survey of nearly 2,600 people in England found 16% had used the private sector in the past year. Fewer names on the lists help the government to seem to “reduce backlogs” and “meet waiting time targets”.

NHS Scotland does undertake regular waiting list validation to remove those no longer requiring treatment but there is no financial inducement. I can’t imagine anyone think that this would be acceptable here.

As for the private sector uptake, it’s around 2% of all admissions or 4% of elective admissions, one eighth or one quarter of the level in England.

https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/acute-hospital-activity-and-nhs-beds-information-annual/acute-hospital-activity-and-nhs-beds-information-annual-year-ending-31-march-2025/

Is this practice enabling NHS England to have shorter waiting list, proportionally, than NHS Scotland?

Nope. See:

NHS England overall hospital waiting list is 5% longer than in Scotland
Research by Royal College finds TWICE as many over 60s, per head of population, waiting more than 12 hours in NHS England’s A&E departments as in NHS Scotland – a political responsibility that can no longer be ignored there
NHS England’s diagnostic tests waiting list is shocking 800 000 or 71% longer than NHS Scotland’s

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5 thoughts on “NHS England authorities paid £33 per patient to remove thousands of them from the lists, many still in great need”

  2. Off topic, but relevant in the context of Mr Burnham’s speech today in Manchester.

    His theme was greatly increased devolution to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and to the regions of England. He is proposing significant autonomous powers with limitations on what Westminster can do, as well as significant cash transfers. All of this is welcome, if it comes to pass.

    However, the Scottish media are ‘reporting’ (speculating/kite-flying/ sewing fear and mistrust) that if Holyrood does not devolve more power to communities in Scotland, then Westminster will impose it.

    Personally, I think that since it’s inception every Scottish Government has shown centralising tendencies, the SNP as much as Lab/LibDems and we need to empower local authorities to a far greater extent.

    However, the media do not see the contradiction between their ‘report’ and Burnham’s concept of powerful devolution. If Holyrood is to get more powers, it is for Holyrood to decide how to devolve these powers within Scotland, not Westminster. To override Holyrood would make a mockery of Burnham’s plan, however much ‘Scottish’ Labour and its unionist media chums would like..

    Labour in Scotland has to change to survive and this is what Monica Lennon was implying in her interview on Sunday. However, since its ’review’ is to be undertaken by Sarwar and Baillie’, I think the troglodytes will decide on no change.

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  3. This reminds Scotland’s GPs of the 1980s about the Thatcherite policy of sleekitly manoeuvring the new mass unemployed from unemployment benefit onto sickness benefit to disguise the true unemployment figures. Ah the unsubtle phone calls from job centres and unemployment benefit offices reminding one that struggling family incomes would be higher ‘on the sick’ – as if we didn’t know. https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/how-uks-disability-culture-began-when-thatcher-tried-to-rig-unemployment-figures-5045413 and https://www.ovid.com/journals/bmjd/abstract/10.1136/bmj.f2382~thatchers-legacy?redirectionsource=fulltextview. Scotland has never recovered. Thanks for the reminder, Wes 🙃

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  4. We should all be aware of Greeks bearing gifts ! Burnham and his policy advisers are only looking for votes in The North of England. It is dangerous for us as the Britnat press will already be jumping on this as a way to try to suppress Scottish independence sentiment. Look out for drip feeding tomorrow onwards in the ‘Onion press’ about how ‘mayors’ (sic provosts ) will wave Unionist pixie wands and save us poor Scotties from our delusional thinking… and how lovely Andy will bring back the Jocks to heel and discard their errant ways.. the Unionist hacks will have pens poised and be ready to spout forth more anti SNP bile as of tomorrow. Sickeningly familiar.

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  5. Pingback: Scotland’s most rebutting – With greater resourcing Talking-up Scotland is surging – a third more rebutting lies and revealing hidden truths – Talking-up Scotland

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