We were as shocked as many other fellow campaigners around the country to see Warrington & Halton Hospitals advertising “SELF-FUND” NHS treatments last month. Due to the national outrage the hospital now says they have paused the scheme but we are taking that with a pinch of salt.
This is what attracted campaigners’ attention and caused a real storm.
Many campaigners have been warning this would happen for some time – particularly as NHS England has now put restrictions of some routinely funded NHS treatments. The 999 Call for the NHS graphic below lists those treatments now referred to as being of “Low Clinical Value”. This means your GP cannot refer you to a consultant without major stress and hassle – convincing the Clinical Commissioning Group that you are a special case.
Clinical Commissioning Groups – the ones with the purse strings – are being pressured by NHS England to make massive cuts. They should have a policy about these new restricitions. Mostly you can find these policies posted on the Clinical Comissioning Groups’ websites. But to confuse us all, they come under different names, such as:
- Prior Approval
- Procedures of Limited Clinical Value
- Criteria-Based Clinical Treatments
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough CCG you can find here
Campaigners are now asking their local hospital if similar schemes are in play – and we are joining them by asking Hinchingbrooke’s CEO – Caroline Walker – if, as part of North West Anglia Foundation Trust (NWAFT) they too are offering NHS Treatments as “self-fund” or “self-pay” services. This is our letter which we have sent this week.
Caroline Walker, CEO
NWAFT
Peterborough City Hospital
Bretton Gate
Bretton
Peterborough
Cambridgeshire
PE3 9GZ
Dear Chief Executive
In the light of nationwide concern regarding “low clinical value” NHS treatments no longer being routinely funded and the deep unrest surrounding these services becoming “Self-Pay” treatments as in Warrington NHSFT, please could you tell me:
Is North West Anglia Foundation Trust (NWAFT) currently offering “self-pay” treatment for elective services that are no longer routinely funded by the Cambs & Pboro Clinical Commissioning Group?
Is NWAFT planning to offer “self-pay” operations and elective surgery services that are no longer routinely funded?
If so please provide a copy of the price list
At which site(s) – Hinchingbrooke, Peterborough or Stamford – do self-pay treatments exist or are being planned?
How much income does NWAFT make from providing commercial sources?
Of this, how much comes from these “self-pay” elective operations?
What plans, if any, is the trust developing to increase income from self-pay elective operations?
Does NWAFT plan to increase private income by more than 5% in any one financial year? If so, have you got the permission of more than 50% of elected governors?
We look forward to hearing from you
We will keep you posted. We also want to ask the CCG for their list of treatments no longer available as routine NHS treatments. And to ask what are the options for local people suffering pain.
If you’re going to be at the Huntingdon Carnival in August why not come and say “hello” and we can tell you more about what we know about the changes being made to our NHS.