Saturday 10 February 2007

Meeting targets at all costs

On Thursday the weather was foul; schools shut and hospital transport was stopped. The forecast for Friday did not look any better.

One of my colleagues had a day case operating list for the Friday morning and noticed that three of the patients were very elderly; perhaps it would be safest for them to be cancelled and rebooked. A manager was consulted. "NO" the answer came, because if they were cancelled they would be breaching the waiting list target.

So, it's better for an 85 year old to risk falling on the ice and breaking a limb than imperil the government's entirely arbitrary waiting list targets. Have they no shame?

1 comment:

Henry North London 2.0 said...

The government has no shame.

You actually needed to ask

Come and see my blog I really have had it with phony tony and his cronies.

The GP's have had some of their data wiped by the government in order for them to look good

Spin is everywhere Vote for Barry and save Bedford Hospital