Half of ICBs delaying patient care by imposing ‘minimum waiting times’

Getty/jacoblund

By Erin Dean

Nearly half of integrated care boards in England are delaying care for patients by imposing minimum waiting times for some surgical procedures, an analysis has revealed.

A total of 17 of the 36 ICBS have introduced minimum waits of between 12 and 16 weeks for procedures including hip, knee and cataract surgery.

Medical colleges have raised concerns about the widespread use of this approach to manage tight budgets uncovered in the BMJ investigation.

The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) of England said it was “concerned by the scale” of measures that can prolong patients’ pain, while the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) said the waits were “difficult to justify”.

The BMJ received Freedom of Information responses from 35 out of the 36 ICBs that cover England.

Of these, 17 (49%) confirmed they had imposed some form of minimum wait. A further 17 ICBs said they did not have a minimum wait, while one – NHS North East London – was unable to say.