[MD] Low Quality Health Care

[Platt Holden]

Hi All:

>From today"s Guardian ( a UK newspaper highly regarded for accuracy by 
British contributors to this site) comes the following report about that 
country's universal health care system:

NHS fail on waiting times

David Batty
Thursday June 7, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

Less than half of NHS patients are receiving hospital treatment within the 
government's flagship waiting-time target of 18 weeks, new figures 
revealed today.

Only 48% of patients in England are treated within 18 weeks and 12.4% have 
to wait more than a year for treatment, according to figures published by 
the Department of Health today.

The results cast doubt on whether the government can meet its promise that 
all patients would be treated within this time by the end of 2008.

Patients in the south east of England suffered the longest waits for 
hospital treatment with only a third seen within the target time.

The east of England and London were ranked second and third worst 
respectively for delays to hospital treatment. In the former only 41% of 
patients were treated within 18 weeks, and in the latter only 44%.

Even in the east Midlands - the best-performing region of the country - 
only 60% of patients were treated within the target time.

The worst performing trust was Swindon primary care trust, where just over 
a fifth of patients referred for hospital treatment were treated within 18 
weeks.

Brighton and Hove city primary care trust was the second worst with only 
23% of patients treated within the target period. The third worst was 
Enfield primary care trust, north London, where only 26% were treated on 
target.

Patients referred for trauma and orthopaedic treatments suffered most 
delays, with only a quarter treated within 18 weeks. Referrals for oral 
surgery and neurosurgery suffered the next worst delays, with only 37% and 
39% of patients treated within the target period.

The study of total waiting times - from GP referral to hospital treatment -
 covered 208,127 patients in England who completed their referral to 
treatment in March this year.

END

Is this the quality of health care we what we want for America? I don't 
think so. 

Regards,
Platt