“It undermines the core principles of the NHS: that everyone should get compassionate treatment, as early as possible, when they need it. The commonest non-urgent operations hospitals perform include removal of cataracts, replacement of a worn-out hip or knee and the repair of a hernia. The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) said making patients wait at least 13 weeks for treatment was “arbitrary” and “ethically wrong” because patients would suffer. “I’m demanding Jeremy Hunt intervenes, enforces the NHS constitution and bans these minimum waiting times. Last month 1.3 million patients started consultant-led elective treatment and the vast majority of patients wait less than 18 weeks.”

Source: The Guardian November 16, 2017 20:03 UTC