UK: Hospital waiting lists will soar due to European laws, surgeons warn

The Telegraph ^ | 3/11/2009 | Rebecca Smith

[bruinbirdman]

'Insane' European rules mean doctors' hours are cut so much medics will not be able to cope.

The key pledge of Labour's NHS reform has been to reduce waiting lists and now the majority of patients are treated within the target of 18 weeks from seeing their GP.

However this will be reversed as junior doctors will be limited to working a 48-hour week, from their current 56 hours, it is claimed.

The extension of the European Working Time Directive will effectively result in the loss of thousands of doctor shifts, John Black, President of the Royal College of Surgeons said.

And the Government fears there will be a lack of locum doctors available to step in and help fill the gaps, following changes in doctors' recruitment.

It means patients will have to wait months for routine operations as surgeons prioritise emergencies rather than scheduled cases.

The Royal College of Surgeons wants trainee surgeons on a 65-hour working week in order to produce safe, properly trained doctors and cover the workload required by hospitals.

Mr Black said: "If the 48 hour limit is enforced, surgeons will have to make a hard choice between caring for emergency cases and dealing with elective cases as there will not be the time available to do both. Surgeons will put patient safety first and focus on looking after emergency patients.

"All the progress on reducing waiting lists will go out of the window. Forty eight hours for surgeons is currently insane if we want maintain surgery in the NHS."

Doctors have calculated an average hospital trust outside London will lose the equivalent of three trainee surgeons and other specialities such as paediatrics, trauma, and intensive care are likely to be similarly affected.

Smaller surgical units may have to shut or be merged in order

[bruinbirdman]

No problem. Castro will send a few thousand from Cuba in solidarity with his fellow comrades.

[Flavius]

This is so typical of negative news coverage when evryine knows politbureau members will have access a head of the line due to their invaluablebrevolutionary sacrifices they contribute daily

While dying proletariat while enjoying their free care will die knowing their supreme leaders are taken care off

[Oldeconomybuyer]

...[treatment] within the target of 18 weeks from seeing their GP...

Coming to America.

[lakertaker]

I know a few people who believe we should have universal health care here in America because “Europe and Canada have it.” My reply is then we need to adopt Sharia Law because more and more European countries have or will have adopted it

[heye2monn]

A waiting period of eighteen weeks! Four months!!!!

Is that you really want, you Obamanuts????????

[GovernmentShrinker]

Actually, in America, you get seen immediately by a resident who has officially been working “only” 80 hours a week, but usually has actually been working more, and is therefore stumbling around in a sleep-deprived stupor, making errors which are often fatal. We need to cut OUR hospital doctors’ hours back, and stop providing free care to gangbangers, illegal immigrants, deadbeats, drug addicts, and fakers who show up in emergency rooms over and over again faking symptoms of extreme pain in order to get free narcotics.

[KrisKrinkle]

Can they really do good work on a 65 hour week?
Aren’t they fatiqued by the last day?
Do you (whoever) want to be the patient at the tail end of the work period?

[bill1952]

and now the majority of patients are treated within the target of 18 weeks from seeing their GP.

That is the target??

I had to look twice to make sure that it was not 18 hours.

[Secret Agent Man]

18 weeks from the GP to getting treatment.

These freaks are hoping their own people die in the meantime. These politicians need to be tarred, feathered and hung upside down in the town square and pelted with rotten fruit for a month. ANd if they die in the meantime, well....

[edcoil]

Do the muslems get priority over natural brits yet?

[bruinbirdman]

" My reply is then we need to adopt Sharia Law because more and more European countries have or will have adopted it"

The Obammunist's reply is, "We will do it better than them."

yitbos

[ronnie raygun]

Lets agree we will all accept national health care if all of our pompus elected elitists also have to use it too! AGREED? Would Ted still be alive today if.......

[bruinbirdman]

"Lets agree we will all accept national health care if all of our pompus elected elitists also have to use it too! AGREED? "

Not agreed. They would lie.

yitbos

[Polybius]

The key pledge of Labour's NHS reform has been to reduce waiting lists and now the majority of patients are treated within the target of 18 weeks from seeing their GP.

"911. State your emergency, please."

"My house is on fire! My house is on fire!"

"What's your address?

"583 Maple Street."

"Thank you. The pledge of City Hall has been to reduce waiting lists and now the majority of fires called to 911 are fought within the target of 18 hours from the 911 call. The fire engines will be at 583 Maple Street tommorrow afternoon, no later than 12:30 PM. Have a pleasant evening."

[lowbridge]

Is that you really want, you Obamanuts????????

Thats not what they want, but they're stupid enough to believe that this isnt going to happen and anyone who tries to sound the alarm about it are brushed off by them as fear mongerers. They wont believe it untill it happens to them.